A Florida neighborhood has been subjected to recurring flooding after one of its residents decided to plug a stormwater pipe that ran through their property with concrete.
As reported by the Orlando Sentinel, residents of the Shadowbay Club community in Seminole County have been left to watch in horror as the roads within the community flood every time there is a heavy rain storm because the water now has nowhere to go.
The homeowner, Diane Goglas, took drastic measures after claiming that the pipe was leaking and causing erosion in her yard and that the HOA was doing nothing about it. She reportedly also falsely claimed that the pipe had been installed without her agreement, despite the pipe being installed nearly a decade before her house was built and long before she purchased the property.
Stormwater pipes are important for draining away water. Without them, residents have had to resort to putting sandbags in front of their properties and erecting signs that say, "Slow, No Wake Zone" along the roads to protect themselves from the flood waters. Seminole County officials say there is little they can do to rectify the situation, so the HOA has filed a lawsuit to order Diane Goglas to remove the concrete from the pipe or have a new one installed. They are still waiting for a hearing on the request.
"It's an atrocious wrongdoing," one resident, Jennell Taylor, told the Orlando Sentinel.
Unfortunately, incidents like these are not all that uncommon and some of the most common causes for complaints include boundary issues, garden maintenance, and noise complaints. Some neighbor complaints have even been sparked by installing cost-saving measures such as solar panels.
Talking to your neighbors about the benefits of certain upgrades, such as solar panels or stormwater drains, can help them understand the personal and environmental benefits of these measures and perhaps avoid situations like the one here.
This story was also shared to Reddit where several commenters shared their frustration at the situation while others worried about the impact it could have on the community during hurricane season.
"Imagine the terror these residents felt tracking Hurricane Debby. One hurricane hits this community and it's over," one person wrote.
Another said, "This doesn't sound like a bad HOA situation, it sounds like a bad neighbor situation."
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