LONGWOOD, Fla. – A woman who admitted to pouring concrete into her neighborhood’s drainage system will have to pay Seminole County for its time, even though the problem has finally been fixed.
At a code enforcement hearing Thursday, the county confirmed repairs have been made in the Shadow Bay community. A special magistrate ordered the homeowner responsible for the damages to pay $1,264.64 for administrative costs.
It pales in comparison to the thousands of dollars she could have been fined if the repairs were not finished this month.
“I think this is probably a testament to relying on our professionals and making sure before you change a drainage pattern on your property — even if it is your property — that you should probably hire an engineer and go through the proper channels to make sure that you’re not disrupting anyone else around you,” said Special Magistrate Sherry Sutphen.
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The homeowner, who hired workers to pour concrete into the manholes in her front yard in April, apologized for her actions but said she did it because there were problems on her property. She has spoken about “sinkholes” in the past.
“If I didn’t put cement in those areas, which was just a small area in front of my lawn, my house, it would have been more of a disaster for me,” said the woman. “I apologize, but I had a situation that was, you know, not being addressed at a time when I begged for mercy.”
Her neighbors in Shadow Bay dealt with months of flooding after the drainage system was plugged with concrete in the spring. A sandbag site was even set up in the community so homeowners could fill bags to barricade their doors and garages.
County code enforcement and a judge overseeing a civil case both ordered the homeowner to fix the issue, but it wasn’t until December that the pipe was finally removed and two manholes were repaired.
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Jennell Taylor, who bought her home in Shadow Bay the same week the concrete was poured, said she is glad the main issue is finally resolved, but the problems are not over.
“We are all so excited that we will no longer have flooding out here on the streets and our driveways. We can walk. We can take our dogs out. Kids can get to school, no issues. That part is wonderful,” said Taylor. “But we have a lot of (damage) we have suffered that we need to take care of.”
The Shadow Bay Club Homeowners Association is currently suing the woman who damaged the drainage system. Court documents obtained by News 6 show the money she has spent so far to fix the issue. They include lawyer fees, engineering, and construction costs, and she says it has cost her more than $238,000.
Taylor says the HOA dues have increased 86% to cover the litigation and other costs. Some neighbors are concerned they may have to sell their homes and move.
“It’s huge,” Taylor said. “A lot of us, many of them, are retired, people have young families, so people are in a situation where you cannot necessarily absorb an 86% increase in your monthly dues.”
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