LONGWOOD, Fla. – The woman accused of intentionally filling a pipe with concrete, causing weeks of flooding in Longwood’s Shadow Bay neighborhood, is due back in court Wednesday after residents filed an emergency injunction.
The Shadow Bay Homeowners Association filed the motion after the woman was given a deadline last week during a code enforcement hearing to fix the damage by Oct. 1 or face a daily $250 fine. The motion calls for a judge to order an immediate fix, saying the repairs can’t wait.
In March, the woman 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.
[TIMELINE: Flooding in Shadow Bay neighborhood]
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 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.
After listening to testimony from county staff, as well as the homeowner and her attorney, the magistrate during the code enforcement hearing 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.
Wednesday’s emergency motion hearing began just after 11 a.m. with the HOA president giving testimony. News 6 is in the courtroom and will provide updates as they come in.
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