Pensacola — State and federal authorities are conducting a criminal probe to determine if contractors dumped tons of concrete and debris into Pensacola bay white building a controversial toll bridge.

Court files show a federal grand jury has subpoenaed records from the Santa Rosa bay bridge authority and Figg Engineering Inc., a Tallahassee firm that designed the Garcon Point Bridge and oversaw its construction by Orlando based Odebrecht-Metric.

Federal officials declined comment, but Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Capt. Brad Williams confirmed the state is investigating illegal dumping allegations.

The $95 million bridge, which opened in May, links Gulf Breeze on the south with Milton and Interstate 10 on the north.

As many as 50 acres of the bay floor near and around the bridge are covered with concrete pour, according to the private Pensacola Bay Ecosystem Management Advisory Council.

The Milton-based environmental group provided its findings, obtained through side-scan sonar and sightings by divers, to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

DEP environmental investigation chief bob Deimer declined comment. Williams said the conservation commission is assisting DEP in the case.

The 35-mile span has been dubbed "Bo's bridge" by critics because of the legislative assistance the project received from former house speaker Bolley "Bo" Johnson, now serving a two-year prison term on unrelated. tax evasion charges.

Environmental groups opposed its construction, but lost a federal lawsuit. DEP already has levied $135,000 in fines against the bridge authority for environmental violations and delayed its opening for more than a week for failure to meet permit requirements.

Debris found by the sonar and divers includes exposed cables and iron bars that could endanger the environment, said Joe Lepo, A University of West Florida microbiologist. As the material rusts, it removes from the water oxygen needed by marine life he said.

The large amount of concrete also can alter the water's acid balance, killing worms, minnows and micro-organisms, Lepo said.