DELAND, Fla. – Orange lines, orange cones and orange flags have been popping up across DeLand neighborhoods.
News 6 is learning three companies are currently laying fiber optic cable underground in the area: T-Mobile/Tillman Fiber, Wire 3 and AT&T.
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According to the city, the work is part of a state-led infrastructure project to expand high-speed internet access, and the city of DeLand is not part of the contracts and does not manage or oversee the work.
But when something goes wrong, it can require city manpower and resources to fix — and it can leave residents without water or other utilities.
Neighbors told News 6 crews have been showing up without warning — digging up yards and leaving behind piles of dirt with little to no explanation.
“They come and they dig in your yard. You just see them come digging up dirt. Nobody says anything to you. They’re just working. You don’t understand what is going on, and they left a pile of dirt in your yard,” said Marlene Martin.
Bhanumati Tailor, another DeLand resident, said work on her street started just days ago and has been moving quickly. “It started on that end, and now they’re over here,” she said.
Tailor said she has noticed crews are at least cleaning up after themselves.
“They’re doing a good job. When I see on the other side, they covered it up and put the grass back,” she said. Still, she has questions about what all of it means. “I don’t know how it’s all going to work and what is it for. I have no clue,” Tailor said.
The disruption isn’t limited to torn-up lawns. DeLand City Commissioner Richard Paiva contacted News 6 this week, expressing concern over the growing frequency of water main breaks caused by fiber optic installers — including two that happened in a single day.
Sarah Lux, community information manager for the city of DeLand, confirmed the scope of the damage.
The four breaks have occurred at the following locations:
- W. Euclid Ave. and S. Spring Garden Ave. — 8-inch water main
- Taylor Road and S. Woodland Blvd. — 6-inch water main
- W. Beresford Ave. and S. Spring Garden Ave. — 12-inch water main
- S. Adelle Ave. and Carroll Ave. — 6-inch water main
The most recent break happened at W. Beresford and S. Spring Garden Ave on Wednesday.
“It was a 12-inch water main, which is a pretty significant water main to break through,” Lux said.
Commissioner Paiva said he is uncertain about the root cause of the breaks but pointed to two possibilities. “It may be due to not following the proper/required procedures for locating our water pipes, and/or it may be due to inadequate training or supervision,” he said. “Regardless of the reasons, however, it is unacceptable.”
Lux explained that fiber crews are responsible for identifying utility lines before they dig — a process known as self-locating.
“These companies are required to do what’s called ‘self-locating,’ which means they’re supposed to do their due diligence to find the lines themselves as part of the process,” Lux said.
When breaks happen, the city has two ways to respond.
“We send out our guys to do it, and we send them a bill for the work that was involved. The other way that we may hold them accountable is we tell them, ‘Hey, you need to get a third-party contractor to come in and pay that cost yourself,’” Lux said. “It really depends on how much of an emergency that repair is. If our customers are going without water, we are going to go in and fix the problem and then bill them for it afterwards.”
She added that crews are expected to restore any area they disturb.
“They’re supposed to be going back, making everything correct, or as it was when they found it,” Lux said.
When asked whether the city is having larger conversations about holding these companies accountable, Lux said the issue is being closely monitored.
“Yeah, we take it really seriously, and as we continue to see more and more punctures as they continue to bore, we are making sure we are working with department heads and people on the ground to hold them accountable,” Lux said.