What is it with neighbors and their lack of desire to be normal? Of course, not all neighbors are abnormal, but the renters next door to homeowners in Hernando County, Florida, certainly are — and in a nasty kind of way. More specifically, these tenants dump their septic waste into their yard, stinking up the place and making the next-door porch smell like sewage. Lo and behold, “we got our water tested by the DOH, and it came back positive for E. coli and fecal coliforms,” the homeowners groan. How equally repulsive and irritating.
The homeowners also conducted their own test, which came back positive as well, further confirming that the septic-dumping neighbors were contaminating the well beneath the house. “The cherry on top is we have talked to them first,” the Florida resident explained. Apparently, the neighbors were afraid their landlord would raise the rent if their septic dumping was discovered. However, when they continued their illegal and unsafe habit, the homeowners wrote a letter to the landlord, after which the neighbors “came over and screamed.” “Finally, we have filed a complaint with the DOH, so we are in the midst of that,” they conclude.
According to a Reddit commenter, “Penalties for illegal septic tank dumping in Florida can result in serious legal consequences, including hefty fines and even criminal charges.” In other words, the neighbors will likely get in big trouble for this. However, many users wondered why OP, the homeowner who made the post about the dumping, would wait so long before finally filing a complaint with the Department of Health & Human Services.
“Fact that OP let this go on for months without contacting authorities is heinous,” remarks a user. “I genuinely don’t understand how this could happen for so long and they both do anything,” another person said. “I would have been trying to figure out what regulatory body to report this to the same HOUR I saw it.” Perhaps there is more to the relationship between the renter neighbors and homeowners than OP explains. Maybe they are friends, which is why they initially gave some leeway with the dumping. Hopefully, that’s not the case because then that would make OP an accomplice in the next-door neighbor’s crime.
Whatever the case, the whole incident is a major criminal violation and puts any nearby residents’ health at risk. Surely, everyone would agree that the neighbors should be arrested, charged, and perhaps evicted for their abhorrent habit.
