OKEECHOBEE – A backlog in permitting at the Health Department has resulted in an unhealthy situation for residents of an Okeechobee mobile home park, according to information shared during the public comments period of the Nov. 20 Okeechobee County Commission meeting.

Phil Baughman said he started trying to do a repair on a septic system at Oak Park Mobile Home Park five months ago. The park is on the north side of US 441 SE, just west of CR 15A.

He said a permit was issued and work started to expand the drain field. However, work was halted when the health department discovered a previous owner of the park had installed the septic tank and drain field without a permit.

Baughman said the situation is unhealthy for the residents, who are exposed to open sewage.

“We have effluent on the ground and open drainage,” he said. Baughman said they can’t finish the work until a new permit is approved.

“I always thought the health department was there so we can monitor the health of our community,” he said. “It seems like that goal has been completely missed and it’s all about technicalities.

“This is insane to have sewage on the ground and not being able to finish it and get it safe,” Baughman continued. "Also, the guy has lost two sales for his park because he can’t sell it because the drainage has not been fixed. I can’t even tell the owner when it is going to be fixed.”

Baughman said Okeechobee County residents are not getting the level of service from the Florida Department of Health that larger rural areas enjoy.

“We’re that stepchild that we’ve always been,” he said.

Delays in septic tank permitting are  delaying construction of new homes, he said. If a home is not in an area with sewer line service, the building department won’t start their permitting process until they have the septic tank permit.

He said the most recent permit he obtained to install a new septic tank took three weeks, and that was shorter than previous waiting periods.

“It’s definitely affecting our building permits,” he added.

Baughman said the single person working in the health department on these permits in Okeechobee is “doing three people’s jobs” and is “working as fast as she can.”