LONGWOOD, Fla. – A woman who admitted to filling a drainpipe in her neighborhood with concrete is now facing a $250 fine, daily, if she does not fix the issue this month.
Neighbors who live in Shadow Bay in Longwood packed into a code enforcement hearing in front of a special magistrate Thursday to see if any action would be taken against the woman.
In March, she went door to door with a letter, telling neighbors about her plans to plug the pipe. She claimed the drain, which was installed long before she bought her home in 2012 according to records, was put on her property without permission. The letter went on to state that if someone didn’t do something about it or provide her with compensation then she would fill it with concrete.
At the code enforcement hearing Thursday, county staff showed pictures they took of a mixer truck pouring concrete into the pipe and manholes in April.
[TIMELINE: Longwood woman fills drainpipe with concrete, sparks neighborhood flooding]
County staff made subsequent trips to the neighborhood where they saw water flooding the streets. Several neighbors have also spoke to News 6 about the problems they face driving and walking around their neighborhood and their worry that the floodwaters would soon damage the road and their homes.
In July, code enforcement issued a citation for the plugged pipe, saying it damaged the drainage system. A deadline was given for the homeowner to take corrective action, but it passed without the problem being fixed.
Thursday, the magistrate gave the woman another deadline: fix the damage by October 1st or face a daily $250 fine.
After listening to testimony from county staff, and the homeowner and her attorney, the magistrate said her decision was made in part because the pipes that are now diverted into an easement and dump into a stormwater pond behind the homes in Shadow Bay are all part of the same system, which is now damaged.
The magistrate also noted the vast flooding in the neighborhood that families did not experience before the pipe was plugged, and said the rain is only going to get worse. She suggested the woman hire a drainage engineer to correct the violation, so the system flows correctly.
News 6 spoke to HOA board member Robin Rodriguez right after the hearing ended about the fear and flooding neighbors have been living with.
“A lot of sleepless nights. Not very many of us are eating. Some of us have to have people on the phone as we’re driving through the waters,” said Rodriguez. “So, there’s a lot of anxiety and I am very hopeful that today’s hearing will help alleviate some of that.”
The woman did not deny paying workers to put concrete in the pipe and manholes. Her attorney, Greg Wilson asked her about why she did it. News 6 has decided not to share her name because she is not facing any criminal charges.
“Because it was broken and eroding,” she said. “My property, I had sinkholes. I had a man cutting the grass whose leg went into the hole. I begged for mercy. I begged the county to help me.”
“What did the county tell you?” asked Wilson.
“It’s private property. They can’t get involved,” his client replied.
Her neighbors have been met with a similar response from Seminole County who tell News 6 they have limited options because Shadow Bay is a private community with an HOA.
The county did set up a sandbag site within the neighborhood for worried residents.
In June, the homeowner’s association filed a civil lawsuit against the woman. The complaint states because of the defendant’s actions, “the stormwater, which was designed to go through the pipelines to the retention pond and eventually into Lake Brantley, now has nowhere to go.”
News 6 also saw deputies with the Seminole County Sheriff’s office canvassing the Shadow Bay neighborhood last week. Detectives went door to door to gather statements from the affected homeowners. The sheriff’s office told News 6 that it was “still in the very early stages of our inquiry and do not anticipate making any arrests.”
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