ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Homeowners in one Gotha neighborhood are still underwater and begging Orange County officials to do something about it.
Paul and Stacey DeHart said they are fed up and want an immediate fix. The couple said dark muddy water submerged their neighbor's home along Lake Nally Woods Drive months ago.
"We feel a lot of pain for our neighbors who have watched their dream home go under," Stacey DeHart said.
The Gotha mother said for some, rain is a blessing but for her and her neighbors, it's been a curse.
"You wake up every day and as much as we need rain you fear it at the same time, its a double edge sword for us," Stacey DeHart said.
The blame, according to neighbors, rests with Orange County officials who have not offered any short term or long term fixes. Contributing factors like housing developments and interstate expansions have also made matters worse.
Stacey DeHart said, "The nonreaction that we have received from our governmental bodies that you vote for and put into office and you really think at the end of the day that they are gonna have your back."
The DeHarts said after dealing with this watery mess for more than a year they will be storming Tuesday's County Commission meeting to vent. Neighbors said they hope after voicing their concerns a plan will be put in place to their neighbors back into their homes.
“We just want what we bought into, we want our lake healthy, we want our land back and we don’t want to live in fear of losing our home everyday,” Stacey DeHart said.