Seminole County residents say internet installation is damaging property
Fiber crews in Seminole County are leaving torn-up lawns, driveways and sprinkler systems, residents say. County permits and state right-of-way rules set the oversight framework.
Seminole County residents say subcontractors installing new fiber lines are tearing up lawns, driveways, sidewalks, sprinkler systems and landscaping as crews race to expand internet access. The work is tied to the post-COVID push to connect more people online, but neighbors say the installation itself is leaving private property to absorb the damage.
Officials have said the subcontractors were not doing their due diligence while digging to install the lines, turning a broadband upgrade into a property-restoration fight. In Altamonte Springs, fiber optics crews left broken sewer, cable and sprinkler lines in November 2023, and U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster later pushed for the crews to be held accountable. The Altamonte Springs city manager said hundreds of residents complained about WOW! during the installation work, including reports that some homes lost water and power service.
The county and state rules governing that work are more formal than the complaints suggest. Seminole County Engineering’s right-of-way permit application requires a permit application, detailed construction plans, an MOT index, proof of liability insurance and an aerial view of the site before construction can move ahead in county rights of way. Florida Statute 337.401 also governs utility use of public right-of-way through regulation, permits and fees, giving local governments a clear legal basis to oversee projects that cut through neighborhoods.
For residents trying to force repairs, complaint channels matter. A Seminole Happenings discussion referenced filing complaints with the FCC or the Florida Public Service Commission over cable installation problems, and it also mentioned getting WOW! to bury temporary cable. Those are the pressure points homeowners and renters are using when they say the work has gone beyond inconvenience and into damaged property.
The dispute now sits at the same intersection that has defined other utility fights in Seminole County: better service on one side, and a demand for restoration, accountability and answers on the other. For families watching crews move on to the next block, the basic question is whether the property left behind will be put back together or left for the homeowner to fix.
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