POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A local construction worker’s shortcut landed him behind bars after deputies caught him using a Polk County citrus grove as his personal dumping ground.
Christopher Suppa, 21, of Haines City, was arrested Thursday, July 2, 2026, after Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies found a massive pile of construction debris dumped in a Dundee grove. Suppa allegedly admitted he threw the waste there because he did not want to make the long drive to his intended destination. He now faces multiple third-degree felony charges, including illegal dumping and trespassing on agricultural property.
The incident began on Thursday when the Polk County Sheriff’s Office received a report about a suspicious vehicle parked inside a citrus grove in Dundee.
When deputies arrived to investigate, they located a 2014 Chevrolet pickup truck equipped with a dump trailer. The driver was identified as Suppa.
Right next to the truck and trailer, deputies discovered a large, newly dumped mound of construction debris. According to the sheriff’s office, the pile consisted of aluminum tin, 2×4 lumber, and 2×6 lumber. Deputies measured the scrap pile, noting it spanned roughly 19 feet by 11 feet and stood more than 3 feet deep.
Upon questioning, Suppa told deputies that he had been working at a nearby construction job site. He explained that his assignment was to haul the leftover scraps to a designated property located on Old Polk City Road. However, Suppa stated that “he didn’t feel like driving that far,” and chose to dump the entire load into the citrus grove instead.
Following the admission, deputies placed Suppa under arrest. He was transported to the Sheriff’s Processing Center, where he was booked on felony charges of Illegal Dumping and Trespassing on Agricultural Property.
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