DELTONA, Fla. – Utility rates are going up across Central Florida, but one man’s water bill almost tripled in one month.
“I’ve cut down to two showers a week because of this water bill,” Larry Wasdyke said. “I don’t even flush my toilet unless it’s mandatory because of this.”
He and his brother Anthony showed us the home’s water bills for the past year.
He was charged an average of $25 per month.
His last bill charged him nearly $85.
“I almost fell out of my chair,” he said. “It’s way too much. Almost triple.”
Wasdyke showed News 6 what he believed he problem was.
“Since I lodged the first complaint, two different people have come out here to read the meter, and they both said the same thing: ‘I can’t read this,’” he said.
He said his water meter, which needed to be read manually by a Deltona Water worker, is not only buried under more than six inches of silt, the numbers on the front of it are not legible because the enclosure is scratched.
“I want the bill adjusted, the meter fixed and (for them) to do their job correctly,” he said.
News 6 investigated and Deltona Water said they are receiving hundreds of complaints about high water bills.
In 2022, the agency received 690 customer complaints.
So far in 2023, the agency has already received 710 complaints.
A spokeswoman told News 6 part of the problem is aging water meters – like Wasdyke’s – that need to be read in person.
She said Deltona Water is in the process of switching those out to a high-tech version that can be read remotely, but it is a slow process.
She added – the new water meters are more accurate, which could translate into higher water bills.
Two days after News 6 contacted Deltona Water, a worker appeared at Wasdyke’s home to replace his water meter.
The agency also refunded his water bill as a one-time “courtesy.”
News 6 checked back with Wasdyke to see what his water bill looked like after the meter was replaced.
He said it was back down to $28.
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