Titusville neighbors fed up with rat invasion

Homeowners claim rodents coming from city-owned property

TITUSVILLE, Fla. – Some residents of a Titusville neighborhood want the city to do more to prevent rodents from getting into their homes.

Lindsay Trudeau and Aaron Heath both own homes that back up to Titusville's Water Resources Field Operations Center, which is on Knox McRae Drive. They said they both believe rats and other rodents are coming from the stacked up supplies and overgrown brush on the property.

"I have caught them," Trudeau said. "I've set traps out here on the table and stuff."

"I've had rats get in my house, get under my cabinet, eat through a (water) line, flood my house," Heath said.

Titusville Water Resources Director Sean Stauffer said the site used to house the water reclamation plant. He said it's now the field operations center for the water department.

Pipes and fire hydrants are stacked right behind a long row of houses in the back, along with a wall of overgrown brush and grass. Large mounds of dirt now have grass sprouting out of it.

Trudeau said he has seen rodents and snakes in that area, and he said the city needs to do more to prevent them from being there and getting into his home.

"If there was one word to sum it up, it would be irresponsible," he said. "I just want them to take responsibility, come out here and clean all the stuff up. It's a no-brainer as to what needs to be done."

Stauffer told News 6 that his department does the best that it can to keep the facility and the grounds clean. He said he would be contacting the public works department to have their crews mow the grass Thursday.

Trudeau hopes it helps.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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