NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. – A Florida couple got an unwanted welcome before they moved into their New Port Richey home.
Pasco County Utilities billed Louise Gritmon and Gene Foy $3,386 for 614,000 gallons of water used over an 18-day period while their house was unoccupied. County officials say the couple who recently moved from Long Island, N.Y. will have to pay.
The Tampa Tribune reports county officials don’t believe a leak caused the water spike, but they don’t know where the water went.
The couple bought the house in April and Foy’s brother who lives nearby monitored workers doing construction over the summer.
Spokesman Doug Tobin suggested they request a billing adjustment which could reduce the bill by half. But Gritmon says she doesn’t think she should have to pay a penny .
If any Pasco County utility customer has a water billing concern, email waterbill@pascoclerk.com. This will be a thorough process that will include gathering facts to determine whether there are billing, meter, reading, or other issues.
