HOLLY HILL, Fla. – People living in Holly Hill have filed a notice of claim to sue the city and a developer. This means the city and developer must respond soon or face a lawsuit.
Homeowners on New Castle Court told News 6 flooding on their street and in their neighborhood is a serious problem. They said a row of townhomes built nearby sits higher than their houses. Runoff from that development, they said, floods their street and homes.
Now, a new development is starting right there, worsening the problem.
Residents also blame the city’s stormwater system for failing to handle the water properly.
“Maybe things have been done but nothing that has mitigated our flooding. Even when it rains if there’s more than three inches the water is already up on our properties and we start to panic,” said resident Danielle Latona.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
News 6 visited residents on Anniston Avenue and New Castle Court after multiple hurricanes and storms in the last five years, where several feet of water flooded the roads and homes.
Latona said residents repeatedly raised concerns at council meetings.
“We went to council meetings time and time again, brought up our concerns - many residents not just us, asked them to show they were making some kind of attempt to fix the problem,” she said.
Despite efforts, residents feel nothing has changed.
Their attorney filed two notices of claim for damages.
One targets D.R. Horton for how they designed and manage the development. The other targets Holly Hill’s city manager for “operational negligence” of the stormwater system.
D.R. Horton has 180 days to respond; the city has 60 days.
How they respond could lead to lawsuits and possibly a trial.
“Could we sell our homes? Yes. What’re we selling it for? $30,000? Who is going to buy them?” she said.
News 6 reached out to the city manager, who said he had not seen the paperwork yet. We also contacted D.R. Horton for comment but have not received a response.