DELTONA, Fla. – Homeowners across from Manny Rodriguez Park say foul balls keep flying over the fence, breaking house and car windows.
The baseball diamond sits just beyond a narrow street and a chain-link fence. Residents on Farrington Drive say the fence no longer stops balls from reaching yards and vehicles.
“When I saw what happened to my window, I became concerned that it could happen to people that were driving by,” said Anne.
Smash after smash has left homeowners replacing glass and filing insurance claims. Several residents say some repairs cost hundreds of dollars out of pocket.
“It was really supposed to be for younger children, so the foul balls really wouldn’t make it over the fence as it does constantly right now,” said Anne.
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Residents say activity on the field has increased over the past five years, with more adults using the diamond and some people hitting golf balls from the field. They said supervision and enforcement are lacking.
“I’ve talked so many times to the city and the city will not do nothing,” said Wanda Torres.
Torres said she has replaced multiple front house windows and car windshields, sometimes paying personally and sometimes covered by insurance.
“I’ve had to change everything,” said Torres.
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A city commissioner posted on social media about a recent incident in which a windshield was blown out and warned people to stay safe while activity is happening on the field.
“I’m playing with my grandbabies over here with the truck, and it hit the car and then hit me,” said Torres.
News 6 asked the city what can be done. A city spokesperson said the parks department is investigating the latest incident to determine who was using the field and is studying options for added protections.
The city did not provide a timeline for when any protective measures would be installed.