DELAND, Fla. — Some homeowners in a newly built community in DeLand say they are concerned after finding several areas where sinking has been found by the sewers.

“We have noticed that our property right here has been sinking," resident Marissa Johnston said. "And my husband, he takes very good care of his lawn with a lawn mower, and he always inspects the sprinkler heads as well. And he started to realize that there is a little bit of dipping.” 

Marissa and Vincent Johnston moved to DeLand in 2020 after buying their home in the brand new Victoria Oaks development. The couple first noticed the sinking in October of 2022.

“If I would have known, I would not have bought a new house. You buy a new house to avoid issues,” Marissa said.

When her husband Vincent saw the dipping by the sewer, he noticed it was deep and was able to put his foot inside and almost half his leg fit in the hole.

Marissa decided to make their neighbors aware of the situation by posting the pictures on their community Facebook page. Several neighbors responded to her post expressing safety concerns.

Resident Clint Duty says he hopes the city takes action.

“It's about safety and public safety," he said. "They have a responsibility to protect me and my family. And I don't feel they are doing that right now."

Looking for a solution, Marissa said she started to send emails and make calls to the city.

“They just came by, inspected it — they dig a little bit of the area," she said. "They took out these sidewalks and they said there seemed to be nothing wrong at the time, 'We're going to fill it up with dirt and see if it happens again.'"

Marissa says it’s not only in front of her home where this is an issue. She and her husband love walking their two dogs around the neighborhood, but say they no longer feel safe after discovering more places where this is happening.

“You're paying attention to your surroundings, you're paying attention to people around you, you're paying attention to dogs," Marissa said. "You're not paying attention to a place where you can fall."

Marissa said that when she drives around the neighborhood, she notices there are several other areas where the city has placed cones indicating there’s a hole. So far, she has found 10 areas where there is sinking. Every time she finds one, she says she calls the city, and they proceed to place a cone as a temporary measure.

“It’s amazing to see what they’ve built here, and it’s making me really upset what is happening now,” she said. “And that's not healthy for us to breathe in and it's not safe for us to walk around out here.”

Marissa said the sinking is not only issue — there is also a terrible sewer smell at night.

She said when she told the city about the smell, they said it could be coming from the water in the sprinkler system.

Marissa says that cannot be what’s causing the smell because it doesn't smell everywhere in the neighborhood. It only smells at a specific location because there is a vent located behind one of the houses in the development.

She says she has been monitoring the times the smell is stronger and she noticed the vent is not on a programmed schedule since it happens at random times during the day and also at night.

“And with the lack of urgency from the city coming out here, like I've been telling them to fix it, their only fix to the issues is just cones and soil replacement," she said. "I've been keeping track more because this is not going away."

In front of one of the homes in her neighborhood, Marissa measured the hole and noted that it was about 18 inches deep.

“It’s frustrating," she said. "I go to bed at night wondering, 'Am I going to get this resolved? Where’s this going to go? Am I wasting my time?' It’s not going to be a waste because I am going to bring it down with me as much as this soil has been going down the drain."

Marissa said she is bringing attention to this issue because she wants to protect the children as well as people walking, exercising, and walking their dogs around the neighborhood from falling into one of these holes and potentially getting injured. She said she wants to see the city fix the problem and find a permanent solution.

“I am excited to get it back to normal, but correctly, not just a Band-Aid fix," she said. "I want something done correctly."

Spectrum News 13 reached out to the city of DeLand, which released the following statement:

“The city is working with residents and the developer to determine what may be causing sinking to occur near stormwater and sewer infrastructure in the Victoria Oaks neighborhood. In the meantime, the city is inspecting each area of concern to ensure they remain safe for residents and will be making necessary repairs as needed.”