Woman Won’t Pay $600 Sewer Bill

Florida Bill Imagine getting a bill every month for something you don't even use. That's what a Century Florida woman says is happening to her and so far the grand total the town says she owes tops 600 dollars.

by Debbie Williams

Published: Thu, November 06, 2008 - 6:00 pm CST

"Woman says she will go to jail or go to hell before she pays the bill," reads Leola Robinson from a news article about her struggle over water lines, property rights and who owes who what. It's been going on for ten years and it starts with a mobile home that sits on property Robinson owns.
"If they had carried the sewer line up there, she could have got on it for a thousand dollar. She paid 15 hundred dollars and put her down a septic tank cause she had been here seven months and they wouldn't do nothing."
Every month since the mobile home has been here, Robinson, who lives across the street, gets a sewer bill. The bill has been as high as three thousand dollars but the town cut it to $629. She has never paid a cent, and doesn't plan to.
Mrs. Robinson describes herself as a God fearing woman who always tries to do the right thing including paying her bills on time but she says this time she is standing her ground and there are folks on the city council that are standing right there with her.
"According to the town statutes, anybody with town sewage will pay for it whether they use it or not so I guess we're billing her for sewage she hasn't used when she wasn't even hooked up."
Councilman Henry Hawkins says he doesn't blame Robinson for not paying the bill. It's the tenants responsibility now that they have the service. "I think we need to let it go. It's passed the statute of limitations. She has sewage now and we need to just let it go."
Still, every month Robinson says she has a constant reminder. "I'll be going on and then here come these bills again. I don't like that."
Century Mayor Freddie McCall would not comment on the situation and referred News Five to the town attorney who also declined comment.
Robinson says she has reached an understanding with Mayor McCall.

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