TARPON SPRINGS, Fla., Oct. 11, 2000 (St. Petersburg Times) — A woman has sued Tarpon Springs, claiming the city allowed 1,500 to 2,000 gallons of sewage to spill underneath her home on East Spruce Street in 1996.
"That house still stinks," said Kathleen Spinney, 52, who no longer lives in the home at 143 E Spruce St.
In November 1996, the city's wastewater treatment plant suffered a major breakdown. The lone pump pushing all of the city's sewage into the plant had broken down.
A second pump, which could have served as a backup, was down for repairs.
With nowhere to go, 10,000 to 15,000 gallons of sewage flowed onto the plant property, the street and, according to Spinney's suit, under her home.
In July 1999, attorney Eduardo R. Latour filed a Notice of Claim to the state Department of Insurance on behalf of Spinney, which states that Spinney suffered injuries during an incident that occurred as a result of the broken sewer line. It does not explain the incident.
Since then, however, there has been no resolution of the claim, Latour said in a lawsuit filed in Pinellas County Circuit Court last week.
The suit claims the city failed to properly maintain and keep its sewage pipes and lines. In addition, the suit claims city officials failed to warn residents of the "latent or unrevealed dangers of the raw sewage material."
Tarpon Springs Mayor Frank DiDonato said the lawsuit was forwarded to the city's attorney, John Hubbard, before he had a chance to read it.
"I'm not totally aware of the issue," DiDonato said. "I'm sure it's something we'll try to rectify, but I can't really comment beyond that."
The suit seeks a judgment of more than $15,000, which is the minimum amount for a case to be heard in Circuit Court.
"I wish they (city workers) had fixed the problem completely," Spinney said Tuesday.
She referred all other questions to her attorney.
Latour could not be reached for comment.
— Information from Times files was used in this report.
To see more of The St. Petersburg Times, go to http://www.sptimes.com.
© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.
