HRT for Women in Sanford, FL

SANFORD, Fla. — A shop in downtown Sanford called Elevate Her Boutique sells hand-crafted items from local artists and raises awareness about human trafficking.

What You Need To Know

A little over a month since the boutique opened its doors, owner Tina Kadolph said her dreams to provide hope have already come true.

“We’ve had people reach out to us via social media and are just excited about what we’re doing and to help support what we’re doing,” she said.

At the age of 4, Kadolph says her mother sold her to the first man, which is where her trauma began. She said that continued until she was 15 years old.

“I ran away from my family and was pretty much on the streets," she said. "Then (I) got involved with somebody who told me he was going to take care of me and do all these wonderful things for me, who ended up just re-traumatizing and doing the same thing that had already been done to me."

She said that lifestyle was all she knew, even though all the while she hoped for things to change.

“I thought I would commit suicide and end my life because it wasn’t worth living," Kadolph said. "A few months later, I ended up meeting my husband when I was 20 years old, and that really started the shift of change for me."

From that point on, Kadolph said she has worked to help others in the same situation she was in. She started Love Missions Global, which raises awareness and educates the community on human trafficking.

The Elevate Her Boutique is a Love Missions Global project and sells handcrafted items from artists who also have a story to tell.

Tiffany Robinson is an artist and a foster mother of three years. She said when she started the process, she quickly learned the trauma that young girls face in these situations.

“I learned that there were a lot of stories to tell about the challenges that kids go through, particularly little girls, to find their voice, their purpose, their value, and to help them get to the other side of that," Robinson said. "So a lot of my work is trying to empower little girls to help them get through their journey."

She uses her love for art and creating a safe space for young girls as purpose for her artwork. She says the boutique has been a safe space and a community for her.

“It’s good for my soul, because as an artist, of course, I want to get my work out there, I want to show people but we don’t have a lot of time," she said. "As a mom, you don’t have time as a foster mom. You have less time, so this shop just gives me a platform to tell my stories, and it’s good for my soul."

Robinson has her own story, but she said she wants people to remember her for the work she's doing, not the details of her trauma.

“That voice deserves to be heard, and even if you think no one is listening, you should continue to say it, continue to say what your truth is, continue to shout it out, because you are worth something and you need to find that within yourself,” said Robinson.

Sales at the boutique go right back to the artists and to support Love Mission Global.

The boutique is open Thursday through Sunday and is located at 200 S. Park Ave. Suite 110 in Sanford.

The store will also have a grand opening event on Jan. 11, the day recognized as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Cold temps and broken gate prompted overflow into the lake

SANFORD, Fla. – Around 13 million gallons of sewage spilled into Lake Monroe after an incident at a local water-treatment plant, according to a Sanford city spokesperson on Thursday.

According to the city, the North Water Reclamation Facility experienced two events that prompted the overflow of partially treated wastewater into the lake on Saturday.

In a release, city officials said that recent cold temperatures in the area “reduced the efficiency of bacteria used to break down waste.”

Additionally, the weather also caused the growth of harmful bacteria, which “negatively affected the treatment process,” the release said.

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City officials explained that the growth caused the sand filters — used to purify water by removing impurities — to clog up.

“The treatment staff has cleaned and continues to reclean the sand filters to allow them to work again,” the release said.

A slide gate also broke, which prevented staff from reducing the flow through the plant, city officials added. As a result, the overflow spilled over into the nearby Lake Monroe.

While similar overflows are usually caused by too much rain, the city said that it is trying to implement fixes to keep these malfunctions from happening again.

“The plant has been undergoing a complete rebuild with advanced technology. Part of that new technology is a system that will replace the sand filters and allow them to be used as a backup system,” the release stated.

The new filter system is nearing completion, though it cost around $4.7 million, according to the city. It’s expected to provide more capacity and smoother operations to prevent similar overflows going forward.

According to city officials, the overflow finally stopped on Wednesday around 2 a.m.

“The City apologizes for the overflow and will continue to do our best to prevent future events,” the release said.

In the meantime, city officials told News 6 that signs have been posted near the lake asking residents to avoid swimming or fishing due to the bacterial hazard.

No additional information has been provided at this time.

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Sanford’s charming historic district sits along the shores of Lake Monroe. The town was incorporated in 1877 by Henry Shelton Sanford and ten years later suffered a devastating fire that took out most of the downtown area. Fortunately, its residents were able to come together and rebuild, replacing wooden structures with brick. Many of the structures built during the construction booms of 1887 and 1910 still stand today. According to local lore, many of their inhabitants remain as well and have shown themselves in hauntings, both friendly and mischievous.

Percy and the fire station

Sanford’s first fire station, built in 1887 at 109 South Palmetto Avenue, was originally three floors tall, with the top floor used as office space, sleeping quarters, a jail, and a courtroom. In 1928 the third floor was removed because it was in poor conditions.

A notable former occupant of the third floor, Percy Bayliss, was a convicted murderer who was executed in the only known legal hanging in Seminole County, directly behind the building. A later resident of the building, Barbara Farrell, claims she has heard Percy pacing above her at night. In recent years, the second floor has been renovated into a rental apartment where visitors claim they hear strange noises and feel they are in danger. Perhaps Percy holds a grudge against the town that executed him.

Cold spots in the brewery

Sanford Avenue is home to a building that has seen many occupants come and go. It has housed a meat business and women’s wear store in the 1920s, a restaurant and market in the 1940s and 1950s, and a campaign office for Barack Obama in 2008. This building is perhaps most associated with the Stokes Fish Market, which occupied the site from the 1940s to 2005.

Today, Wops Hops Brewery calls the building home, as do several rumored specters. Patrons have reported cold spots and apparitions throughout the brewery, and a medium has noted the presence of five ghosts. Jennifer, a victim of strangling, and Claudia, a former employee of a past business, are said to roam freely. Stephen prefers the bathroom area and does not seem to get along with dogs or children. David makes himself known in the beer garden. The last spirit has never been identified but is believed to be a child.

Haunted hotel?

Another building with a captivating story, the Mayfair Hotel on East First Street was originally named the Hotel Forrest Lake after a Sanford mayor. It was built in 1926 and was a popular spot for locals to commune for dinner, dancing, and relaxing. Just two years after opening, the hotel was forced to close due to financial scandals. In 1937, new owners bought it and reopened it as the Mayfair Hotel, hosting guests until the 1960s.

Over the next few decades, the Mayfair building served as the Sanford Naval Academy, a school for boys, and later the headquarters of a religious mission. Throughout its long life, the hotel has played host to some famous faces, including golf legend Arnold Palmer and the New York Giants baseball team.

Some not-so-famous faces are rumored to also populate the now-abandoned building, including a shadowy black figure and a woman in white. Locals report hearing the sounds of a piano drifting from the vacant hotel, and stories have spread about it being the site of gruesome deaths. While not all the ghosts can be identified and not all the stories can be confirmed, the Mayfair Hotel is certainly a place of mystery.

Several other entities have been reported in historic Sanford. Storied specters include a mischievous little boy who plays pranks, a couple who haunt Magnolia Square, and a little girl who somberly roams Hollerbach’s German Restaurant. One way to hear more them and other Sanford ghost tales is to take a tour with Gary Holmes at Sanford Tours and Experiences. Holmes has investigated several buildings in Sanford, including that of his own business, Sanford Homebrew Shop. He has been a local for decades and is an expert in all things Sanford, including its local brewery scene. Especially at Halloween time, it’s fun to indulge in a good scare.

SANFORD, Fla. – Neighbors in a Seminole County neighborhood are looking at ways to ward off wild hogs that have caused damage to several yards.

The hogs were caught on surveillance video in the Sterling Meadows neighborhood in Sanford.

“Went into the backyard one night and there is a whole pack back there just rummaging around, and over the next couple of weeks they just kept on coming out and there is no front yard,” Theron Lasher said.

Lasher is a sophomore at the University of Central Florida and says he has dealt with wild animals living in the state’s panhandle, but says even with that experience he wasn’t prepared for this hog family digging up his yard.

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“The adult female in particular is really large, so being out here even during the day if they come out — it doesn’t feel safe,” said Lasher.

Another neighbor, Kevin, says he also saw damage in his backyard.

He tells News 6 that wildlife is not new to the area, but says while he doesn’t expect construction to be the cause of hogs coming through the neighborhood, it’s still concerning.

“They’re tearing a little bit more ground up than they usually do, but this here as you can see is the first time I’ve seen it like this,” Kevin said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, hogs cause approximately $2.5 billion in damages each year.

In a statement, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says there are a number of factors for wild hog reports, naming seasonal food options, year-round reproduction, and increased human population as potential causes.

Since February of this year, FWC reported there have been 16 hog incidents between Lake, Orange, and Seminole counties.

The FWC does not provide removal services for wild hogs, but this species is not protected in Florida. On private property with landowner permission, wild hogs may be trapped and hunted year-round during the day and night and no hunting license is required.

For properties open to the greater landscape (e.g., residential areas, golf courses), trapping is an effective method of preventing damage. A list of private nuisance wildlife trappers can be found on the FWC website.

In addition to private trappers, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (352-377-5556) provides a fee-based trapping program that services homeowner and community associations to resolve wild hog issues.

For Kevin, he says he prefers a more holistic way of warding off swine.

“Usually they do not like pepper, pepper flakes, they get a sniff of it and are usually deterred by it,” Kevin said.

Lasher says he and his roommates are thinking of using fencing as their option. “So eventually in the next couple of weeks, we are going to put up a fence and get someone to fix the grass — but the fence is the main thing.”

Going forward, neighbors say either way they will just have to wait for these hogs to move out of the area before they can start to fix their yards.

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City hired experts, hoping to build treatment plant to test for 1,4-dioxane

SANFORD, Fla. – The city of Sanford has been looking into how to get rid of a contaminant in its water supply for years.

Mayor Art Woodruff spoke with News 6 on Friday about how city officials worked to find the source of the 1,4-dioxane contamination and what they’re doing to make sure their water stays safe to drink.

“We really started looking at it in 2013 when the (Environmental Protection Agency) said, ‘We would like you to test for these additional chemicals,’ and we immediately shut down the one well that had some in it,” Woodruff said.

He added once the city learned about the presence of 1,4-dioxane in the water supply, they took steps to get the Florida Department of Environmental Protection involved. That happened long before an in-depth investigation by the Orlando Sentinel, highlighting the compound’s presence in Sanford, Lake Mary and parts of Seminole County, brought the topic into the forefront in recent weeks.

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“A lot of the news for it came from what the city was doing,” Woodruff said. “We were the ones talking to the (FDEP) about it. We were having public meetings about it.”

1,4-dioxane is classified by Florida’s Department of Health as a contaminant of concern and a “likely” human carcinogen.

The current EPA Health Advisory Level for 1,4-dioxane is 0.35 parts per billion. Florida’s Department of Health has adopted that standard for the state to ensure water is safe to drink.

Woodruff said samples from the water treatment plant in Sanford are consistently below that level. The city regularly tests the water to ensure it is consistently meeting state and federal standards.

Sanford has already taken steps to diversify water sources to ensure the 1,4-dioxane stays below safe standards.

“Our water is safe to drink. What we’re dealing with is the potential for what could happen, and we want to make sure we keep it safe,” Woodruff said.

The city hired its own experts, who traced the compound’s presence to a site on Rinehart Road that used to manufacture telephone parts. City officials hope the FDEP will soon be able to confirm what they’ve long suspected—that the 1,4-dioxane got into the Floridan aquifer from that source and higher concentrations of the contaminant could be found in Sanford’s water in the future.

Woodruff said while the city waits for the FDEP to make its own conclusion, officials are moving forward with their own plans to fix this. They hope to build a new treatment plant, similar to one built in Lake Mary, that would allow the city ensure the water stays safe.

But it’s a costly task.

“We’re looking at $60 to $70 million,” Woodruff said.

The mayor added the treatment plant would be paid for by several state and federal funding sources, but he believes whoever the FDEP establishes is responsible for the contaminant should be the one to pay for it.

Commissioners in Seminole County are also looking into what options they have for the future.

Earlier this week, the BOCC were given an update on the 1,4-dioxane found in the county’s water. They voted to send a letter to the EPA urging them to set national regulations.

“Unfortunately, the absence of standardized regulations for this element in drinking water leaves our communities vulnerable to its harmful effects,” Chairman Amy Lockhart wrote in the letter. “While the EPA has suggested a Health Advisory Level of 0.35 parts per billion, one of the lowest Health Advisory Levels nationwide, which the State of Florida has adopted, this guidance is non-binding. It lacks the enforceability necessary to protect our residents effectively.”

Seminole County and Sanford are now sampling their water monthly for 1,4-dioxane. Area leaders have also committed to being transparent with the community about its presence and what action they are taking.

You can read more about 1,4-dioxane and how the city of Sanford is addressing it by clicking here.

[READ THE FULL LETTER TO THE EPA HERE]

Seminole County commissioners letter to EPA by Sam Dunne on Scribd

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