# St. Pete Beach mothball dumping

> Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/st-pete-beach-mothball-dumping
> Updated: 2026-08-08T18:29:07.000Z. Sources: 7. Developments: 3.

In late July 2026, beachgoers on St. Pete Beach, Florida, reported a strong acrid smell and discovered hundreds of small white objects. State officials identified the items as mothballs—plastic‑wrapped tablets containing naphthalene or paradichlorobenzene—and began a multi‑hour cleanup to protect public health, pets and the endangered black oystercatcher nesting nearby.

Within two days, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) linked the dump to the owners of the Plaza Beach Hotel and the adjacent Chris’ Beachside Bar. Surveillance video, purchase records and communications implicated the hotel owner, Robert C. Czyszczon, and bar manager Christopher S. Monroe in scattering roughly 1,500 toxic mothballs on the beach, allegedly to deter threatened black skimmers from nesting near their businesses to protect revenue. 

Both men were arrested and charged with third-degree felonies for commercial littering and misdemeanors related to attempting to take a state‑listed threatened species. The FWC and Audubon Society volunteers assisted in the removal of the pesticide-containing objects to mitigate chemical hazards to the public and local wildlife populations.

## Timeline

### 2026-08-08: Florida business owners charged over mothball dumping on St. Pete Beach

Two Florida business owners face felony charges for allegedly spreading 1,500 mothballs on St. Pete Beach to deter endangered black skimmer birds from nesting near their establishments.

3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/florida-business-owners-charged-over-mothball-dumping-on-st-pete-beach

### 2026-07-29: Florida Hotel Owner and Bar Manager Arrested for Illegal Mothball Dumping

Two St. Petersburg businessmen were arrested for dumping about 1,500 mothballs on St. Pete Beach to scare nesting black skimmers, facing felony littering and wildlife‑harassment charges.

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/florida-hotel-owner-and-bar-manager-arrested-for-illegal-mothball-dumping

### 2026-07-27: Mothball contamination prompts cleanup on St. Pete Beach, Florida

Hundreds of white objects identified as naphthalene mothballs were found on St. Pete Beach, Florida, prompting a multi‑hour cleanup by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and raising concerns

2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/mothball-contamination-prompts-cleanup-on-st-pete-beach-florida

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Cite as: St. Pete Beach mothball dumping. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/st-pete-beach-mothball-dumping