ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The owner of a St. Pete Beach hotel was jailed and is accused of dumping hundreds of toxic mothballs on the beach earlier this year.
Robert Czyszczon, owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel, was arrested at the hotel Wednesday morning.
Also charged was Christopher Monroe, owner of Chris’s Beachside Bar.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded in April to reports of mothballs scattered on St. Pete Beach behind the hotel.
FWC officers worked with volunteers from the Audubon Society and concerned beachgoers to remove the mothballs, which FWC says pose significant risks to both wildlife and the public.
Czyszczon, 47, and Monroe, 53, were charged with “felony commercial littering for the purpose of economic gain and misdemeanor of attempting to take a listed imperiled species.”
Mothballs are intended for indoor use and should not be used to repel wildlife. Mothballs are regulated at the state and federal levels.
They contain chemicals that can be toxic to birds and other wildlife and placement of them on the beach is harmful, as wildlife can ingest them whether on the sand or if blown into the water.
BREAKING// Robert Czyszczon was just booked into the Pinellas County jail, accused of dumping hundreds of toxic mothballs on St. Pete Beach in April.
He’s the owner of the Plaza Beach Hotel on St. Pete Beach. Sources tell me @bn9 that he was arrested at the hotel this morning. pic.twitter.com/Be0uZ7F330
— Angie Angers (@angie_angers) July 29, 2026