Biscayne Landing’s Wikipedia Entry Sanitized by PR Guy. by Geniusofdespair

John P. David, Boca Developer’s Public Relations guru spins history.

The first question you might ask is why does this development have a Wikipedia (on-line encyclopedia) entry at all. The second question is: Why did I drop a glass of water on my keyboard just now. I digress.

Well, as long as Biscayne Landing (former Munisport unregulated dump) has an entry in Wikipedia, it might as well be accurate right? You would think. (Also see my previous post and 22 comments: Must Read: Herald made a few mistakes on this one...)

There are dueling historians working on the entry, each editing the other. On the side of historical accuracy is Random Stuff. On the side of Public Relations spin is Public Relations guy John P. David. We know it is he, since he uses that name in his edits on Wikiipedia.

Here is what has been transpiring:


In January David said: Because Biscayne Landing is still under construction, with its first towers to be completed soon, this article will be regularly edited to reflect the latest changes to the master-planned community.

Random Stuff said to David in March 2007: Wikipedia is not meant to be used to advertise development projects, please do not remove sourced edits that point out negative aspects of this project.

Words in contention: Former “Superfund” site. David prefers “Landfill.”

Here is some of the language thaat David objected to:

There have been accusations by nearby residents that the studies performed to date were not thorough enough to rule out potential health threats of contaminents on the site. (Random Stuff included footnotes) [http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/HAC/pha/munisport/mlf_p2.html#_1_9 US Govt Rept from Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry]

and:

'''Biscayne Landing'' is a 193-acre [[master-planned community]] the site of [[Munisport Landfill]], a former [[superfund]] site and current [[brownfield]] area containing 6.2 million cubic yards of municipal, biohazardous, and industrial waste. [http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps21/c95a2130-1.html The International Congress on Hazardous Waste] It is being developed by [[Boca Developers]].


Here is the way it reads now (with John P. David’s input):

Environmental Background

Biscayne Landing’s environmental standing is described as "brownfield," which the government defines as property for which the expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of contaminants. For several years, a portion of the property included a permitted site for construction waste, although there are issues of illegal dumping in this area (see the article on Munisport Landfill for further information). The site has undergone several studies since the 1980s by the EPA and other agencies, and all of the studies performed have concluded that it poses no threat to human health or habitation. The studies also concluded that ammonia in the groundwater at the site potentially represented a threat to the environmentally sensitive mangrove preserve, but did not threaten public health or welfare. There have been accusations by nearby residents that the studies performed to date were not thorough enough to rule out potential health threats of contaminents on the site. [1]

So, the moral of this story is:
Approach Wikipeda information with reservation and always keep an extra keyboard on hand if you insist on keeping a water glass on your desk.