OPA-LOCKA, FLA. (WSVN) - A billing battle is brewing in Opa-Locka after residents said they have had it with sky high fees.
The water for an apartment complex near the 2500 block of Northwest 135th Street was shut off just last week, after the landlord said he received a bill that he could not handle.
With the help of an attorney, the water was returned to the apartment complex, but the battle residents face is far from over.
“It was hard, really,” said one resident. “I mean, to empty out the toilet, we use the little buckets here and there.”
The man, who did not want to show his face, said he was without water for three days.
“Mister Mayor, water department, nobody should live in squalor because of your mistakes,” said attorney Michael Pizzi.
After being briefed on the Opa-locka billing matter, I directed @MiamiDadeWater Director Kevin Lynskey to make reasonable payment plans with all #opalocka account holders in arrears.
— Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez (@MayorGimenez) January 21, 2020
Pizzi is threatening to sue Miami-Dade County on behalf of the residents of Opa-Locka.
“They simply sent people bills they could not possibly pay and then threaten to, in some cases, turn off the water,” Pizzi said.
After countless concerns over city run water billing and unexplained billing surges, control has been shifting over to the county.
Late last year, the switch in control resulted in Raul Fernandez’s water being cut off at two of his rental properties.
“The very first bills we got with Miami-Dade were outrageous,” said Fernandez.
One of his buildings had a monthly rate of $350. Now, under the county’s control, they have risen.
“Three thousand a month, five thousand a month, two thousand a month,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez noted that his usage rate is lower, but the cost is significantly higher.
“What we thought was going to happen was that the meters were actually going to get read, and that we were going to get billed a fair and just rate,” he said. “We’re not.”
7News spoke with representatives at the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department who defended the bills distributed.
“We don’t have a reason to believe that there’s any kind of systematic billing error,” said Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department spokesperson Douglas Yoder.
The county explained for years, before they took over, that meter readings were way off.
The numbers accounted for gallons used by the hundreds, when they were supposed to represent gallons by the thousands. Under the corrected system, residents said bills are as much as ten times higher than they are used to paying.
“It is not surprising that people would think back to a time when they were getting billed at a much lower cost for their water, but the measurement from the meters that have been now installed, we believe are correct,” said Yoder. “Then, it’s a mathematical equation to apply the billing rate that the city of Opa-Locka has to get to the amount that’s due.”
Pizzi said the county has not responded to his demand letter asking them to stop turning off the water services to residents who have outstanding bills. He said he plans to go before a judge Wednesday to get help.
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