Residents to Protest Margate Commission Vote on Carolina Golf Club Redevelopment, Citing Toxic Soil Concerns

by David Volz October 29, 2025

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Margate Commissioners Argue Over Plans for Carolina Golf Club

The Carolina Golf Course in Margate. {Photo courtesy SFDF Aerial Imagery}

A group of residents in the Fairway Estates Homeowners’ Association is planning a protest at the November 5 Margate City Commission meeting, where they expect the commission to vote on whether to approve or deny a large residential development on the site of the old Carolina Golf Club.

The group met on the evening of October 28 to discuss their concerns about plans to build townhomes on the contaminated land that had been the Carolina Golf Club. They addressed a 2008 document from the Broward County Environmental Protection Department. It lists restricted covenants placed on the property by the EPD. This document states that the property is too contaminated by arsenic and other toxic substances for any residential development, according to John Demming, a resident who lives on the first hole of the former golf course.

During the meeting, Commissioner Tommy Ruzzano, who has long opposed development on the land, advised residents to focus on the public health issue and its potential to cause health problems, such as cancer.

The document has not been modified since 2008 and is still in effect. Ruzzano told the residents that an engineer could sign a document indicating that the land could be decontaminated. Still, the remediation process would generate dust that could become airborne and harm nearby residents.

“We are going to come to the meeting and strongly oppose any development that would increase the health risk by spreading contaminated soil,” said Demming. “I want all concerned residents to come to the meeting and let their voices be heard.”

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David Volz

David Volz has worked as a writer in South Florida for 35 years. He has written for the Sun-Sentinel, Hollywood Gazette, School Transportation News, South Dade News Leaders, Observer among others. He has an MA in Communications from Florida Atlantic University and a BA in Communications from Valparaiso University. Volz teaches Communications at Miami Dade College and Palm Beach State College. He lives in Coral Springs and enjoys running and participating in 5Ks and half-marathons.