Fiber optic work breaks water line, floods Hidden Oaks neighborhood

Hidden Oaks neighbors in Longwood say a fiber optic project became a neighborhood-wide mess when contractors preparing to run conduit in the public right-of-way broke a water line around 2:30 p.m. Thursday, sending water downhill through the cul-de-sac and into a neighborhood pond.

Residents said they first noticed survey markings and then a door-hanger from Colorado-based WIDEOPENWEST, known as WOW!, saying work would begin soon. But the disruption escalated fast. City crews could not shut off the water immediately because of valve access problems, and Jesse Latzman said the water kept flowing much longer than it should have before officials finally stopped it shortly before 10 p.m.

By then, the broken main had left muddy pavement and a soaked stretch of neighborhood ground behind. Bulldozers worked through the night to dig down and repair the line, while the damage spread beyond water service. Around 10:15 p.m., Hidden Oaks lost power after crews reportedly hit Spectrum lines during the excavation. Power returned about three hours later, but the subdivision was still under a precautionary boil-water notice the next day, forcing residents to boil water for at least one minute before drinking, cooking, brushing teeth or making ice.

The incident has sharpened attention on who was responsible at each step. WOW! said it had notified city officials quickly and is working with its contractor and local officials to understand what happened and determine next steps. Longwood says underground utility installation carries risk, and the city coordinates with telecom providers to reduce damage. The city’s Public Works department handles water distribution, roadway and right-of-way management, stormwater operations and sanitary sewer service, and it tells residents to call 811 before digging to have buried utilities marked.

The stakes in Hidden Oaks go beyond a single broken pipe. Latzman said the sudden underground water movement raised concerns about the neighborhood’s stability and possible sinkhole risk. Seminole County says precautionary boil-water notices usually follow pipe breaks that cause pressure loss, because low pressure can let contamination into the system until tests show the water is safe again.

The Hidden Oaks break also landed in the middle of a broader run of utility work in Longwood. The city has said WOW was beginning new conduit and fiber installation in other neighborhoods in late February and early March, while Longwood has also posted other water notices, including an emergency main break near 1140 S. Ronald Reagan Blvd. on April 14 and a December 2025 boil-water notice for Longwood Plantation and the 427 Business Center after another unexpected line break. For Hidden Oaks, the immediate question is no longer whether repairs will be made, but whether the city and contractors can explain why the break was allowed to turn into a night-long outage.