SANFORD, Fla. – Hundreds of people and businesses in Sanford are receiving bills for false-alarm calls dating back to the mid-1990s and the city is expecting them to pay up.
The bills date to between 1993 and 1999. According to the city's finance department, Sanford police responded to false-alarm calls to 251 homes and businesses during that time. The city says those people owe Sanford money.
"This is public money. We are expecting to receive it. It is due to the city," Lisa Holder, the communications officer for the city of Sanford, said.
The list includes homeowners, fast food restaurants, small businesses, even churches. Some of the businesses are still in operation, while others are long closed or the residents have moved away.
Holder told News 6 they sent out the notices at the beginning of the month. The bills range anywhere from $35 to $1,260, totaling almost $28,000.
Holder said this is not the first time these hundreds of people received the bills.
"This wasn't an oversight. They were already billed for this back in those years," Holder said. "They were put on notice back then and now the city is attempting to collect bad debt."
Holder said the city discovered the unpaid bills after the finance department recently went through its records. She says the city is working with a collection agency, but the finance department wanted to give this group a second chance to settle the bad debt.
"The city is giving people an opportunity to make good on their debt straight with the city, rather than through a collections agency," Holder said.
The unpaid and long-overdue bills shocked some Sanford residents.
"That's amazing. It is, let's say, moderately stunning," resident Gary Lewis said.
"You'd think they should have done something by now," one woman said.
Holder added the city expects to get paid, no matter how long it takes.
"It's always important to try to collect funds that's due to the local government so we can provide better services," she said.
The city's finance department said it has not so far collected any money from the bills. It is currently working on a policy that could write off the debts, but that would have to be approved by the City Commission.
The city of Sanford said residents and business owners who receive a bill can call the city to pay it or they can talk to the finance department to work out the debt.