Discovery of asbestos stops demolition of old Titusville mall

TITUSVILLE, Fla.

For months crews have been working to tear down what once was considered an eyesore mall in Titusville. Once the demolition is done, the Miracle City Mall will be transformed into a new open-air mall. But construction of the new mall could be delayed after demolition crews discovered more asbestos than they expected in one of the stores.

"(I'm) excited beyond my imagination. What an opportunity for Titusville to grow and excel," Titusville resident Chuck Tanner said. Plans are in place for a $60 million outdoor mall called Titus Landing. The new 300,000-square-foot mall will include a movie theater, restaurants and retail shops. The discovery of asbestos has brought demolition of the old mall to a halt. "Well, we knew there was some asbestos in there. We're hoping it to be mitigated. We'll just have to wait that out," Tanner said. Asbestos was once commonly used as insulation but it's now known to a carcinogen. That's why crews have had to stop demolition while the asbestos is removed. Workers at the site told Channel 9's Jeff Deal that they expect that will mean afour- to six-week delay. But people Deal spoke with said the wait will be worth it. "(I) wouldn't have to travel to Daytona, Merritt Island, Orlando -- it would be in the community," Tanner said. Some of asbestos has been removed and secured in a container. Eventually it will be taken to an approved site and buried. Barring any more delays, officials expect the first phase of the mall to be ready in October.

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Discovery of asbestos stops demolition of old Titusville mall