LONGWOOD, Fla. – After eight months, work is finally underway to repair a pipe plugged with concrete in the Shadow Bay neighborhood.
Our News 6 crew saw contractors in the area on Tuesday.
Just two weeks ago, the woman who admitted to pouring the concrete into the drainage system, was in front a special magistrate at a code enforcement hearing discussing the steps she’s taken to remedy the problem.
There have been multiple hearings at the county and in the court system after the woman sent letters to her neighbors in March warning them of her plans to plug the pipe. She claimed there were problems with it, and it was causing sinkholes on her property.
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In a letter she stated that if someone did not do something about the issue or provide her with compensation, then she would fill it with concrete.
The next month, county staff watched as a mixer truck pulled into the neighborhood and poured concrete into the manholes and pipe.
County staff made subsequent trips to the neighborhood where they saw water flooding the streets. Several neighbors have also spoken to News 6 about the problems they have faced driving and walking around their neighborhood and their concerns that the floodwaters had damaged the road and homes.
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When a judge overseeing a civil case between the woman and the Shadow Bay Club Homeowner’s Association ordered her to find a permanent solution in October, she hired an engineer to come up with a plan for the repairs.
Neighbors who spoke with News 6 Tuesday said they are relieved to see a contractor is now working to fix the problem. Jennell Taylor, who purchased her home the same week the concrete was poured, said it’s a welcome sight.
“We even welcome the noise because something is finally happening,” said Taylor. “The squeaky wheel finally made a difference and it’s getting some grease.”
Taylor has attended many of the code enforcement and court hearings in the past months and watched as the woman has been given deadlines — and extensions — and therefore has avoided paying any fines. The woman has taken steps to relieve some of the flooding, including renting a pump to re-direct water to the retention water behind her home where it is supposed to flow.
“We can actually access our driveways, walk our dogs on the sidewalk, kids can go to school without any issue,” Taylor said.
The woman who plugged the pipe — and is paying for the repairs — told our News 6 crew Tuesday that the work should be finished by Friday. The contractors have been in the neighborhood for about a week already clearing out all of the water still in the ground so they can begin work on the two manholes that the concrete was poured down.
News 6 obtained a letter from the homeowner, submitted in court records, where she detailed the cost of the repair work so far. Legal fees, an engineer’s assessment, and more totaled over $87,000.
Taylor says even though a judge ordered her neighbor to pay for the repairs and a special magistrate has threatened to fine her if she didn’t fix it, every homeowner in Shadowbay is affected financially in one way or another due to the legal battle they’ve been in. And even though the drainage system is finally being fixed, the impacts will be long lasting.
“My neighbors and I are facing an 86% increase in our HOA dues each month, which is pretty significant, and that’s a lot of difficulty for a lot of people,” Taylor said. “Our Christmas present is a great big bill that we know is going to increase next year as well.”
The neighborhood is holding a community meeting on Thursday, Dec. 5, to discuss what their options are moving forward. It is a non-HOA gathering.
“Just a community get together meeting where we can all get together and talk about how we can help each other fund this increase, whether it’s a GoFundMe, whether there are donations, we can find grants, whether we can help each other,” Taylor said. “We need to find a way to remain a community now and support each other through this.”
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