Hundreds of Pasco County residents were left without running water Wednesday, while the property owner faced thousands of dollars in fines if the problem wasn't fixed.
Families living at Forest Green Mobile Home Park in Hudson contacted ABC Action News hoping to get answers about their water being abruptly turned off, and without warning they say.
The issue impacted families living in about 80 units.
After ABC Action News called Pasco County officials, we met with a code inspector to investigate.
According to inspector John Adams, management cut the water supply when an underground pipe ruptured.
"We just haven't had any water and there's no way to flush a toilet, there's no way to wash dishes or anything," said one resident.
People living at Forest Green spoke to us only when we agreed to conceal their identities. They claim the landlord threatened to evict anyone caught talking to ABC Action News.
"People with kids, it's a problem because kids need fresh water to drink, need to be able to take showers, baths," said another resident.
According to Adams, Forest Green tried fixing the problem with their own maintenance worker but he's not licensed to do the job.
The county put a stop to the work and told Forest Green they needed to call a licensed plumber.
We tried several times to contact Forest Green, even showing up to the front office in person, but the manager on site refused to comment.
The inspector issued Forest Green a warning for failing to meet the minimum housing code. According to Pasco County regulations, property management must provide a water truck or water bottles if the water is shut off for several hours. The county says Forest Green did not meet that requirement.
Residents tell ABC Action News that the water was back on around 9 p.m. Wednesday, some 10 hours after it was initially turned off.
Pasco County officials say Forest Green faced a $500 fine per unit, per day if the problem wasn't fixed by Thursday afternoon.
