Officials, environmental groups oppose railroad tie shredding operation

Mounds of railroad ties along the railroad track that runs through downtown Dunnellon and Chatmire on Oct. 23, 2025. [Jennifer Hunt Murty]

Track Line Rail LLC, a Texas-based company seeking to operate a creosote-treated railroad tie shredding and grinding facility on East McKinney Avenue in unincorporated Marion County, is facing mounting pressure to abandon the project.

Currently, high mounds of railroad ties stretch roughly 500 feet along the tracks, less than 1,000 feet from the Rainbow River. A sharp chemical odor is noticeable about 100 feet from the piles, which are visible from Williams Street, Dunnellon’s main thoroughfare. Employees at nearby businesses said the stacks have grown taller in recent weeks, now rising above the tree line behind their buildings.

During a special Dunnellon City Council meeting on Oct. 27, Marion County Commission Chair Kathy Bryant confirmed that the county has issued a notice of violation to Track Line Rail and the property owner.

“We are already telling them that they are in violation of county ordinances within the unincorporated area of the county,” Bryant said. “We’re on it, we’re working on it hard and fast, because we all can agree on one thing — how important our environment is and our watershed surrounding the head spring at the Rainbow River.”

Robin Huff, Marion County’s code-enforcement manager, said her office notified both the property owner CSX and Track Line Rail owners who had amassed the rail ties on the property that they are not authorized to use the site as a landfill or to shred or grind railroad ties under its current zoning.

Bryant explained that while the company may apply for county approval through a special use permit process, any request would have to go through the Planning & Zoning department and ultimately the Board of County Commissioners, and she said she doubted the county would approve the request.

Bryant said the county’s legal department was reviewing the matter and she expects the issue to be formally discussed at the Nov. 4 county commission meeting, where she plans to ask the board to issue a joint opposition letter similar to ones already submitted by state representatives.

According to prior reporting by WUFT, Track Line Rail previously operated for five months in Newberry, grinding chemical-coated wooden railroad ties into mulch for use as fuel in cement kilns without proper permits. Residents complained of “foul odors and fine dust.” Regulators from the city, county and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) determined the company had been operating without authorization and ordered it to halt operations. Cleanup there required the removal of more than 10,000 ties and seven truckloads of contaminated mulch. The company later left town without paying penalties.

Company CEO Dave Malay in a phone call with the “Gazette” declined to confirm whether the Newberry materials had been relocated to Marion County or to answer additional questions. Before hanging up, he said only, “We are all legal.”

City and community concerns

Although the proposed site lies outside Dunnellon’s city limits, the city council’s letter of opposition to FDEP regarding the agency’s draft air-pollution permit warned that emissions from the proposed operation could directly affect residents and the Rainbow River, citing expected annual emissions of 58.77 tons of particulate matter, 67.22 tons each of nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, and 23.95 tons of sulfur dioxide, along with volatile organic compounds and fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) that pose respiratory risks to vulnerable populations.

“Creosote is a known hazardous substance containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), many of which are carcinogenic,” the city’s letter states. “The processing of creosote-treated materials through shredding and grinding operations creates airborne particles that can transport these toxic compounds into our community and watershed.”

City officials said the company’s proposal to use water to control dust could instead cause runoff contamination into the Rainbow River basin. They argued that the heavy industrial use is incompatible with Dunnellon’s residential and eco-tourism character.

“Our community should not bear the burden of deteriorated air quality for an industrial operation that provides no benefit to our residents,” the council’s letter said.

Conservation groups including the Sierra Club and Rainbow River Conservation are urging citizens to lodge their complaints with FDEP.

How citizens can give feedback

The deadline for public comment on the FDEP draft permit is Friday, Oct. 31.
Members of the public can:

• Call FDEP: 850-717-9000
• Email: [email protected]