Cape Coral homeowner forced to pay sky-high water bill

Jo-Ann Piacente is 75 years young, but wise enough to know when it’s time to fight city hall, or in this case, Cape Coral Water.

Who wouldn’t after getting a $565 water bill?

She was confused and distressed, as she wasn’t even home for nine days of the billing period.

“So when I got this bill I thought this couldn’t be possible,” said Piacente.

But Cape Coral said the bill is legitimate and Piacente has no choice but to pay.

WINK News called up an expert from Franze Plumbing to take a look and see if there’s a reason for such a sudden spike in water usage.

“We’re talking 30,000 gallons of water. That’s a lot of water,” said plumber Larry Lambing.

So how much is 30,000 gallons of water exactly?

“That’s like, pool amounts of water; that’s like a large body amount,” said Lambing.

After scoping the property inside and out, Lambing found nothing. His only reasonable explanation was that someone used her water while she was away.

“Something’s happening. It’s not happening in her home though,” said Lambing. “There’s no leaks in the water like toilets are running; it’s something suspicious.”

But there’s no way to prove his theory.

Piacente has cameras, but none that show the water spigots. Same thing with her neighbors.

The City of Cape Coral spokeswoman Maureen Buice said in a statement, “Ms. Jo-Anne Piacente completed a leak repair adjustment request on 8/21/19. On 7/5/19, Franzese Plumbing was on-site and rebuilt both toilets in Ms. Piacente’s home.”

“I haven’t slept for several nights because I’m worrying about this,” Piacente said. “I don’t want it to happen again.”

If your water bill is more than you expected, leaks are usually to blame.

You can also try some conservation methods to lower your bill like making sure to turn off the faucets and only running full loads in the dishwasher.