St. Pete Beach Hotel Owner, Bar Owner Arrested For Dumping Toxic Mothballs On Beach

ST. PETE BEACH, FL — The owners of a St. Pete Beach hotel and beachfront bar have been arrested months after hundreds of toxic mothballs were discovered scattered across a protected shorebird nesting area, Florida wildlife officials announced Tuesday, according to multiple reports.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission arrested Robert Czyszczon, 47, owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel, and Christopher Monroe, 53, owner of Chris's Beachside Bar, following an investigation into the April incident, the Tampa Bay Times said.

Both men are charged with felony commercial littering for the purpose of economic gain and a misdemeanor count of attempting to take a listed imperiled species, Bay News 9 reported.

The investigation began in April after FWC officers responded to reports that hundreds of mothballs had been spread along St. Pete Beach near a nesting site for threatened black skimmers, Patch previously reported.

Officers, along with Audubon Florida volunteers and concerned residents, spent days removing the pesticide-laden mothballs from the sand.

• Also Read: Mothballs Likely Scattered Along FL Beach To Deter Protected Birds, FWC Says

Wildlife officials have long suspected the mothballs were intentionally placed to deter black skimmers from nesting on the beach. The protected shorebirds typically begin nesting in the area around May 1, according to the FWC website.

The pesticide contains chemicals that can be toxic to birds, other wildlife, pets and humans. Officials warned the chemicals could be ingested by birds on the beach or washed into the Gulf, creating additional environmental hazards.

At the time of the discovery, volunteers described finding hundreds — and possibly thousands — of mothballs scattered throughout the beach. Community members organized cleanup efforts while environmental advocates warned the contamination posed a serious threat not only to nesting birds but also to beachgoers.

FWC's investigation ultimately identified Czyszczon and Monroe as the suspects, reports said.

Investigators used receipt records from a local website and found Czyszczon bought a large amount of mothballs there the day before they were found on the beach, Tampa Bay 28 reported.

He and Monroe were both placed on the beach both nights of the incidents.

The men also exchanged text messages complaining about how the black skimmers were hurting business, with one man reportedly writing, "they are the worst birds. and then the bird people will put up a fence around the area and then the beach people will not be able to get to and from."

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