Demolition of Titusville mall delayed due to asbestos concerns

TITUSVILLE, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - The demolition of a Titusville mall is on hold, because of the health risk for workers.

For years, the Miracle City Mall has been a blighted eyesore in Titusville, but thanks to larger than expected amounts of asbestos discovered during demolition, it's now blighted and semi-demolished. It could remain this way for a month or more.

"Well, no one likes to see delays, but rare is the project that has no delays," said Titusville Mayor Jim Tulley.

He said the developer, AG Development out of Tampa, has not told city leaders about the asbestos-related delay, nor is it required to. According to county commissioner Robin Fisher's office, the developer has halted demolition while seeking the proper environmental permits to remove the additional asbestos.

Asbestos was used in construction in the 1960s and 1970s but was banned after it was associated with causing lung cancer. Asbestos must also be disposed of in a sealed waste container like this one we found on site here, but Titusville's mayor says the unexpected development should not cause residents concern.

"It sounds like the developer has done good planning, and he's got extra funding in his budget, so they were very conservative in their planning, so they are able to deal with the unexpected, and the unexpected always pops up."

The old Miracle City Mall is being demolished to make way for a new $60 million shopping center with new retailers, restaurants, and entertainment offerings, but the planned 325,000-square-foot facility, named Titus Landing, has faced numerous delays already.

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Demolition of Titusville mall delayed due to asbestos concerns