Article Courtesy of WESH 2
News Orlando
By
Claire Metz
Published April 10, 2023
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VOLUSIA COUNTY -- A huge washout with a drop of more than 40 feet has homeowners
in one DeLand community on edge.
People who live in the Saddlebrook neighborhood say their
backyards are dropping away, and it's getting worse every
day.
"I am petrified obviously for my property, my family. I've
got four kids," resident Tabitha Ruge said.
Ruge doesn't have a backyard pool, but she's got a massive
hole in the ground out back that she never asked for, a
washout that continues to grow, slowly eating up the land
and inching toward hers and other homes.
"My husband has measured it. It was about 70 feet from our
property, we've lost. We're about 25 feet from the edge of
the erosion now," Ruge said.
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The Ruges built their home in 2016 when the back, which is Homeowners
Association property, was a gradual slope with drainage and manicured grass.
Signs of trouble developed, though and in 2021, things really got bad, as the
entire concrete drainage system collapsed. Pipes and tubing went down along with
trees.
"Every time we hit the rainy season, we're wondering how much more we're going
to lose of our HOA property but getting closer and closer to ours," Ruge said.
The Homeowners Association for Saddlebrook filed a lawsuit against the developer
of the community in February 2020, citing negligent and deficient construction.
There were other issues in addition to this big problem. The case was dismissed
in November of last year following an out-of-court settlement.
A spokesman for the HOA says the board has engaged an engineer and is actively
seeking vendors to make the necessary repairs.
It's not soon enough for Ruge, who says they've been living life on the edge for
too long already with no action and few updates.
She noted the HOA never even put up danger signs.
"I've put warnings out on our Facebook page just because I'm petrified a kid is
going to come running through here or God forbid a dog takes off and somebody
goes racing after them. You can't see that that's a drop-off," Ruge said.
Homeowners are also concerned about property values as the ground around them
continues to fall.
After complaints and media stories, someone put up a fence Thursday morning due
to the dangerous drop off about 45 feet.
A spokesman for the city of DeLand says they are aware of the issue and have
been in contact with the HOA board. They say though it's private property, they
are available to offer guidance or connect the HOA to resources.
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