FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Fort Lauderdale homeowner is starting the new year with an expensive and unexpected water bill.
That woman, Rosemarie Greve, is in her 70s.
She says she couldn’t get an answer from the city after receiving a bill totaling more than $8,000, so she called Local 10 News for help.
“I’m here 50 years, I bought this house in my 20s,” Greve said.
Her reaction after receiving this massive bill?
“I cried all morning,” she said. “I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I’m just a nervous wreck.”
The bill is nowhere close to the amount Greve normally pays for her water.
“Normally $88,” she said, adding that nothing like this had ever happened. “Never.”
Her utility billing nightmare started last month when she received a bill for December for $6,930.
Greve says she personally went to the city’s utility department.
“They said, ‘OK, we’ll investigate it,’” she said. “I said, ‘How long does that take?’ Three months.”
She was asked to hire a sprinkler company to check for leaks, which she did, and the city sent someone to check her meter.
“Nothing,” she said.
But what she did get from the city was a late fee.
The longtime City of Fort Lauderdale resident called Local 10 News after calling the city yet again Wednesday and speaking to a supervisor.
Thursday morning, a third technician found a leak, underground.
But what about her bill? The city told Local 10 News she won’t be on the hook for it.
A city spokeswoman said, in part: “Luckily, this customer was able to get a professional to identify the source of the leak. In this case, we were able to credit the majority of the amount with Leak Adjustment Credit available to customers in this situation. Our goal is always to provide the best service to our residents and use every avenue possible to find a solution.”
“He said, ‘Call a leak detection company,’” Greve said. “I just don’t want another widowed woman to go through something like this, because it affects your health.”
Hopefully Greve can finally get a good night sleep.
The city’s spokeswoman adds, “if any customer sees an unusually high water bill to please contact the city’s utility department and request an investigation to get to the bottom of the issue.”