Source: Tampa Tribune, September 16, 2012
Posted on: http://envfpn.advisen.com
A Lakeland family who found a landfill in their backyard while trying to build a pool is suing the home’s builder and developer.
Brian Dyer found the junk last year, and radar showed it runs from his backyard to underneath his home.
The property once was used as a clay pit for paving roads in the 1970s. The previous landowner didn’t want to pay for fill dirt so he allowed friends, neighbors and businesses to use the pit as a dump.
A washing machine, tires and a lawnmower could be seen in a small section of the landfill.
The home builder, Southern Homes, blamed the developer, J-Reh Inc., and refused to help with the cleanup.
Southern Homes couldn’t be reached for comment.
Dyer’s attorney, Michael Martin, says he reached out to the builder and developer but neither was interested in discussing a solution.
“The big word is ‘habitability,'” Martin said.
“But I think anyone would understand that having a yard full of tile and rock and debris is simply not what a person wants to have.”