OKEECHOBEE COUNTY, Fla. — Residents said sewage has been spilling onto a yard for months, and the Florida Department of Health has not responded to their complaints.
WATCH BELOW: 'For somebody to fix the problem and fix it the right way,' Michael Peck tells WPTV's Dave Bohman
Nine neighbors gathered to describe the stench they said has made it impossible to enjoy their own homes. A warning letter shows the homeowner has been cited, but no fix has come.
Residents of a quiet street in Okeechobee said their lives are being upended — not by anything they can see or hear, but by what they smell.
A sewage overflow on a neighbor's lawn has been documented on home video, and nine neighbors gathered at the home of Michael Peck, who lives next door to the property, to describe the impact.
"It's nasty," Peck said. "You get to the point where you can't sit outside. It's so bad."
Al Lee, another neighbor, said the smell is constant.
"It's like living next door to the sewer treatment plant," he said. "I called them several times and never got a call back."
Dawn Lee described the reach of the odor.
"I can't even stand on my back patio across the street from them, that's how bad it gets," she said.
The property belongs to Nelson Sadhna, who lives there with relatives. She declined my request for an interview but showed me a warning letter about the problem. The March 2 letter cited her for sewage on the ground and an improperly maintained septic system. The letter warned Sadhna she would be "subject to fines and penalties."
Sadhna said she has a heart condition preventing her from working and has no money to pay for a fix.
I made calls to and went to the Okeechobee office of the Florida Department of Health — the agency responsible for investigating complaints about sewage. So far, the agency has not returned my calls.
Neighbors said the situation is made more urgent, because Sadhna's grandchildren frequently visit the property. The property also sits next to a canal that flows into Lake Okeechobee, and with warmer weather ahead, neighbors fear the odor will grow more intense.
Al Lee said neighbors are not looking to punish Sadhna.
"We would rather them get the solution fixed, yeah, and we're trying everything to help them," Lee said.
Peck said the ask is simple.
"For somebody to fix the problem and fix it the right way," Peck said.
The neighbors would like to see the problem fixed soon — not only because of the smell, but because they believe it will hurt their property values and that nobody would want to move into the neighborhood.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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