The Seminole County woman who plugged a stormwater drain pipe with concrete last spring causing months of flooding in her neighborhood told a magistrate this week she’ll have a new pipe in place by mid-December.
“Trust me, I want this done as much as everybody else wants this done,” a tearful Diane Goglas told county special magistrate Sherry Sutphen at a Thursday hearing. “I’m doing my due diligence to be in compliance.”
Sutphen agreed and ordered a hold on $11,250 in county fines she’s accumulated since Oct. 1, the deadline imposed by the magistrate in September for the homeowner to build a new stormwater line on her property.
“I’m going to find that you have been making a great deal of progress and I appreciate that you are working with the county,” Sutphen told Goglas. “That’s one of the most important things to me — to notice that a person is trying to work toward and doing the things that they are being asked to do by the county.”
In all, Goglas will have spent nearly $100,000 to fix the mess she created, according to court documents filed in a separate civil case. That includes $44,200 to build a new underground stormwater line from the street, along the easement on her property into a nearby retention area. It also includes $36,275 in attorney’s fees.
Holding back tears, Goglas said she’s taken out a second mortgage to defend herself and pay for the work.
Sutphen imposed a new deadline of Jan. 8 for installing a new line. The next magistrate hearing is scheduled for Jan. 9 and Goglas is required to attend.
She also commended Goglas for renting a pump to send stormwater from Shadowbay Boulevard to a nearby retention pond to help prevent flooding. She’s paying more than $500 a month for it, according to court documents.
“I think you’re going above and beyond by renting the pump,” Sutphen said.
Goglas, however, will still have to shell out nearly $1,000 to the county in administrative costs for the code enforcement case.
County officials said Goglas obtained a construction permit last month and recently met with county staff on her property to detail how the work would be completed. A contractor she hired would replace two manhole covers and 13 feet of pipe — about 24 inches wide — that runs across her yard and was damaged by the concrete.
The issue that landed Goglas in hot water started in April when she filled the old pipe with concrete after a long dispute with the Shadowbay homeowner’s association, a private community of about 100 homes and condos off Wekiva Springs Road near Longwood.
She claimed the old stormwater line was broken and flooding her yard causing sinkholes and erosion.
Residents said Shadowbay roads became nearly impassable, especially after heavy thunderstorms when Goglas clogged the conduit. Floodwaters crept up driveways and into garages — residents even put up “Slow. No Wake Zone” signs along streets.
County officials said there was little they could do — other than issuing a code violation in May — because Shadowbay roads and infrastructure are owned by the neighborhood.
The county’s citation ordered Goglas to remove and repair the existing stormwater pipe and inlets by the end of July. Because she didn’t fix it in time, the violation was sent to Seminole’s magistrate in August.
In a lawsuit filed by Shadowbay residents, Circuit Court Judge Donna Goerner on Sept. 19 ordered Goglas to repair the damaged pipe by Sept. 29. Otherwise, county crews would have authorization to go into the neighborhood and make the repairs. Goerner has not issued a subsequent order since.
In court documents, Goglas said she struggled hiring a contractor “because they do not want to get involved” because of publicity in the media about her case. She added that many contractors don’t work on residential properties.
The St. Cloud company she finally hired now awaits materials from Georgia to begin the work this month, Goglas said.
“I have received multiple attacks by the community through Google, social media, etc.,” Goglas said in a written statement to Goerner.