Ormond Beach man claims neighbor’s house is to blame for flooding damage

Demie Johnson
·2 min read
1

An Ormond Beach man claims a recently rebuilt home next door is causing his property to flood. Over the last year, William Latella’s driveway started cracking and sinking.

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His deck also caved in, and his fence is being help up by stakes in the ground.

“The house next door is three feet higher so there is nowhere for that water to go except in my yard,” said Latella.

He gave Eyewitness News a copy of the building permit that said no water runoff should impact adjacent properties.

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“It is affecting my property in more ways than one,” said Latella.

A spokesperson from the city of Ormond Beach tells Eyewitness News the home next door on Mcintosh Road was reconstructed through the Florida Rebuild Program and the owner moved back in May of last year. Since then, the city has added drains along the fence line and gutters to the north side of the home. But Latella said it isn’t helping.

“Every time it rains, I have 2, 3 inches of water in my yard that never flooded. I have pictures going back to Harvey and I never had these issues,” said Latella.

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He feels for the homeowner next door who had to wait eight years to get the work done but because he is disabled and retired, even minor damage has become significant.

“I am not looking for anything free, anything extra. Just make my property to where it is useable again. I shouldn’t have to worry every time it rains. That is the sad part and that’s pretty much what I do,” said Latella.

The city said the flooding issues are now a civil dispute between two neighbors.

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