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Hearing For Watering Scofflaws Unlikely To Draw Crowd

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By JOHN W. ALLMAN

jallman@tampatrib.com

Published: March 23, 2009

TAMPA - Call it Hillsborough County's perfect storm: As officials struggle with a continuing drought, many residents still refuse to adhere to water restriction ordinances.

And some, when caught watering their lawns on off-days, don't pay their citations on time.

The county's Code Enforcement Special Magistrate will hear about 40 cases this morning involving residents given a citation - which start at $100 for a first-time offense - but who have ignored the charge.

Only a handful of people will likely appear in person, said Gerard Watson, Hillsborough's senior water conservation inspector.

"We may get three, four people, if anything," he said. "Typically, no one shows up."

What happens next depends on how much residents want to pay: The magistrate will sign an order, giving 10 days for the initial citation to be paid. After that, a daily fine ranging from $50 to $200 will be imposed on top of the citation cost.

All of which could be avoided if people simply paid the citation within 20 days of receiving it. Typically, residents end up before the magistrate once their citation is about two months old.
Water officials say the rules aren't new. Permanent restrictions have been in place since the 1990s. Still, that doesn't stop some people from arguing against their citation.

"Water restrictions in Hillsborough County are a way of life, not an option," said Michelle Van Dyke, community relations coordinator for water resource services. "We hear every excuse imaginable."

From August to January, inspectors issued 1,565 citations. The bulk of those were for first-time violations, but 350 citations were given to repeat offenders - the fifth for some.

Residents in unincorporated Hillsborough are allowed to water once a week between Monday and Friday, either before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m. Watering is not allowed on Saturday or Sunday.

In late 2008, the number of citations peaked with more than 400 handed out in October alone, records show. Since November, citation totals have averaged about 200 a month. February totals are not yet available.

"People are getting the message about the drought, about the need to water less, about the need to pay attention to water restrictions," Van Dyke said. It "remains to be seen if that message will continue as our weather gets warmer and dryer."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915.

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