Heather Wright/The Independent

At first, it seemed like good news – someone had purchased the vacant variety store in the hamlet of Florence.
But soon, neighbours and municipal officials realized this was not going to be the development people had hoped.
The new owner began bringing in derelict vehicles, including large trucks and parking them in the parking lot on the main street.
It wasn’t long before Dawn-Euphemia Mayor Al Broad was getting complaints about the “eyesore.”
Then there were concerns about the new owner parking vehicles on the wrong side of the road and backing out into oncoming traffic. 
In early November, Broad raised the issue at township council.
Clerk Donna Clermont has talked to the new owner and made it clear the junk should not accumulate.
“I did make it very clear to him that this is not a scrap yard or a place of raw material. And that if he’s got a motor vehicle establishment, he needs to be moving product,” says Clermont. “He assured me that anything that was coming in, would be repaired and sold… And then he also mentioned that… he was planning on putting a fence up and putting everything behind it.”
Broad doesn’t believe that’s true. “I do not believe that most of the stuff there is drivable…Our bylaws are very clear, derelict vehicles are not allowed in any zone.”
Broad says something had to be done. “It’s not fair for the people that live around there to look at such a mess. And I’m sorry he can put a fence up all he wants but you’ve got to go to a 15-foot fence to hide that trailer,” says Broad.
Lambton County, which handles the township’s bylaw enforcement, has issued an order to clean up the scrap metal and cars at the corner.