Neighbor caught illegally dredging canal

MANATEE COUNTY - A stop work order was posted on a Manatee County home Wednesday. Neighbors caught the homeowner illegally dredging a canal to the Evers Reservoir.

That reservoir supplies Bradenton's drinking water and is located off Braden River Road.

Mary Colter says the noise coming from her neighbor's backyard began early Saturday and didn't stop until the county got involved.

Bulldozers and backhoes were slashing trees and digging a canal with an 8-foot fence hiding it all from view. Colter immediately called the county upset that her neighbors cut a channel into the pristine shoreline of the reservoir.

Code enforcement officers posted stop work orders on the property. Now, the homeowners can't continue with anymore dredging or earth moving activities until further notice. Officers say the dredging is illegal.

Colter says her neighbors should have to pay to restore the area. "When they broke that shoreline. When they dug that channel...when they did what they did. They went to far."

Code enforcement says the homeowner could be fined 250 dollars a day for violating the stop work orders. State penalties could also be assessed.

We tried calling Colter's neighbor several times, but our calls were never returned.

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