Employees say mold in local Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement office making them sick

TAMPA - They investigate and analyze some of the highest profile criminal cases in the state.

Now some who spend their working hours at the Florida Department Of Law Enforcement Tampa office claim the building is making them sick.

We learned about the problems inside FDLE's crime lab and the rest of the building from two people who have identified themselves as current employees through e-mails, photographs, and phone calls.

They claim that this building is not well and is making some people sick.

Rick Ramirez is the Special Agent In Charge of Tampa operations.

 "The mold has actually just shown up."

He said FDLE has nothing to hide when it comes to black mold that runs up the stairwell wall and left a 50 foot scar on the ceiling.

ABC Action News asked him, "Are you concerned when you hear employees are going outside the building because they are so worried about the conditions here?"
 
"Absolutely, we take pride in this company and we take pride in this agency and this facility," he said.

Roof leaks have plagued the 19-year-old building since 2000, and while multiple repairs and mold remediation’s have been made, the roof has never been replaced.

Ramirez said financial issues are responsible for the delay.

"I can tell you that it's been difficult because of the economic impact in the last few years," he said.

In 2011, Florida lawmakers approved funding for a new roof and work began in February, but an underlying problem with the structure and heavy rain led to delays that triggered a major mold event in June, According to Ramirez.

"The mold that we were discussing earlier was along those vents," Ramirez said.

Two people identified themselves as employees say the building is making people sick.

FDLE admits that five people, including a woman that we spotted, are so concerned that they are wearing face masks to work, but yet no air quality test has been conducted here since 2008, according to Ramirez.

"There was no explosion of mold until the roof and the removal of the skylights." Ramirez said.

While the work on the roof is ongoing, multiple leaks and mold remain. There are water stained walls and plastic buckets to catch roof leaks in the building.

ABC Action News was told an actual contractor who specializes in indoor air quality will be testing on next week.
 
Those test results will be made available to all of the one-hundred-fifty employees who work there.

Contractors are working on repairing the roof and Ramirez says the worst part should be fixed in a couple days, and the complete roof should be fixed by October.