Homeowner seeks relief for erosion issue

LAKEWOOD RANCH — As Tammy Kovar puts it, she hardly ever has trouble turning life’s lemons into lemonade.

But this time, it’s nearly impossible.

As Kovar peers out her kitchen window toward her unique view of the Braden River, she knows two things.
First, the foundation of at least a section of her home has moved nearly an inch. And second, there is no way to fix it — unless, perhaps, she wins the lottery.

“There’s no good news,” Kovar said with a shrug.

For the last 12 years, Kovar has raised concerns to various entities about the erosion she sees happening behind her home, and she also has watched the riverbank creep slowly toward her property line at a rate of one to two feet per year. Now, it’s just yards away.

Trees and shrubs have fallen into the river. Her backyard slopes downward and shows signs of washing away. Her back porch steps now have an uneven slant.

“When you have your 80-year-old father patching cracks in your pool (area) because he’s scared, that gets you worried,” Kovar said. “I didn’t ask him to do that.”

Last month, Kovar and fellow Bluffs resident Stuart Siegel petitioned supervisors on Lakewood Ranch Community Development District 1, which owns the gopher tortoise preserve property behind Kovar’s home and is responsible for common areas and infrastructure in the Summerfield/Riverwalk area, for help.

Although Siegel’s property is not being affected in exactly the same way as Kovar’s, he and neighbors also have experienced erosion in their yards.

On Tuesday, after the East County Observer went to press, supervisors were slated to discuss whether or not to spend upwards of $5,000 to determine what could be done to prevent the river from eroding farther toward Kovar’s property and behind other homes in the Summerfield Bluffs neighborhood. District engineer Mike Kennedy has said repairs to the riverbank likely would cost at least $500,000.

Additionally, the district’s attorney Jeffrey Russell said the CDD has no obligation to remedy the situation, and that only affected homeowners would be responsible for paying for remediation — a scenario that is most likely cost prohibitive to homeowners.

Kovar is the first to admit she cannot afford such an assessment, and she doesn’t want her neighbors to pay it, either. But she also doesn’t want to see their home values decrease because she’s forced to vacate her property.

“This was perfect; I lived it for 12 years,” Kovar said. “But you can make perfect somewhere else. It’s just a box. But I care — that’s the part that’s the hardest.”

Kovar said she plans to inform her mortgage lenders of the situation, because she is afraid the home may become structurally unsound.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].