CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — It’s been another frustrating year for the homeowners of Inverness Village 4, like Mylon and Kerri Gladden.
“I have to not think about it sometimes because I get very frustrated, and I get mad, and I get mad for all of my friends and everybody else that’s around here,” Kerri said.
Their Citrus County subdivision was somehow built without paved streets or a drainage system, so every time it rains, the streets become even deeper canyons that are badly scarred and almost impassable.
“I know that the fire department and the emergency services have said that they have confidence they’ll be able to get their vehicles through here in the event of something, but I’ve seen trucks get stuck,” Mylon added.
The neighbors who bought there – thinking the roads would be paved and assuming proper drainage was in place – feel misled, and they’re losing hope as finger-pointing between Citrus County government, a home builder, and the person who sold many of the lots here creates a stifling stalemate.
“I think the people in a position to do anything about it are too busy pointing the finger at each other to actually fix the problem,” Mylon said.
County Commissioner Holly Davis is still looking to the state for help. She believes home buyers here were defrauded, and earlier this year, she asked the state to investigate.
She hoped for an answer before the end of 2024, but with 2025 now here, there are still no answers, solutions, or relief for the neighbors of Inverness Village 4.
“Do any of you hold out hope that there will be change in 2025?” ABC Action News asked them.
“I hope and pray there will be change,” another neighbor, Josie Rivera, responded. “There’s a lot of people on this road that cannot go out for a walk and get fresh air. Well, it’s not really fresh air. It’s dusty air, but at least you get some air.”
If nothing changes in the next few months, some neighbors plan to appeal their 2025 tax bills in protest.
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