‘Such a relief’: Florida Department of Environmental Protection shuts down Gainesville crematorium
By Kayla Lewis
The Forest Meadows Funeral Home in a populated part of northwest Gainesville is no longer allowed to operate their crematory unit, according to documents obtained by TV20.
Florida Department of Environmental Protection staff sent an eight-page Consent Order to staff members at the Forest Meadows Funeral Home. It says they must make sure their crematory unit cannot be operated.
By April 9, they were required to disconnect the natural gas line and electrical power supply. They also need to send photo documentation to the DEP within the next 10 days.
"Oh it’s been such a relief,” shared nearby resident Dan Randall.
“Glad to see that the saga is finally ending,” said Randall.
Randall lives just feet away and says shutting down the crematory unit has been a long time coming.
“I have never really felt like the EPA really took it as seriously as they should have, so this is a step in the right direction,” Randall said.
Back in 2023, he spoke with TV20 about the smell, calling it unbearable. Last year, the building exceeded state emission limits for carbon monoxide.
“No, you wouldn’t want anyone’s remains to be floating around in everyone’s neighborhood that just sort of seems a little gauche, improper, and not very kind to your neighbors,” Randall shared.
Within 60 days, Forest Meadows must pay $1,625 in penalties and expenses incurred by the department during the investigation. Last July, the owner submitted a letter to the department stating they were stopping any further attempts to repair the crematory unit.
“Everybody in the neighborhood feels safer, especially those who have small children don’t have to worry. They were considering moving away because they were concerned about the emissions and rightly so,” Randall said.
If the owners decide to purchase a new human crematory unit, they will have to apply for a new Air General Permit registration prior to operating the new unit.
Tv20 reached out to the owners, but have not heard back.