In late October, Timothy Ondrey saw small flags planted in the easements around Rock Springs Ridge, first outside the subdivision on Rock Springs Road and then moving their way into the community. Eventually, they reached Ondrey’s neighborhood. 

Ondrey, who lives on Rock Hill Loop, is one of several Apopka homeowners who say they’ve sustained property damage to their easements because of a fiber network installation by Metronet, prompting the homeowners association (HOA) to retain a lawyer in preparation for potential legal action. 

Although Rock Springs Ridge is within city limits, Orange County is overseeing the rollout.  

Ondrey described a “good amount” of his neighborhood as being impacted by the installation, with the most significant damage occurring to his easement. 

“The grass was torn up and then, I’ll say, hastily put back down, or it wasn’t remediated the same day that the work was done,” Ondrey said. 

He said he filed multiple complaints with Metronet via two tickets and several phone calls. Although a crew eventually returned for cleanup, the restoration was poor, according to Ondrey. He said new sod patches had visible gaps, and some sections of grass were left dead. While the work occurred in the easement, the responsibility for maintenance falls on the homeowner. 

“I’m responsible for maintaining the property, and I understand what an easement is, but it’s going to be the HOA and the city who are going to come to me and say, ‘Hey, your property is not being maintained,’” Ondrey said.  

Ondrey said he wished the community had been notified in advance before installation began. 

“[The crew lead] told me that [they] should have gotten door hangers in advance, letting us know that Metronet was in the area, that they were going to be doing fiber installation, and pretty much everything that we should expect,” Ondrey said. He said he did not receive any such communication and saw social media chatter that he was not the only one.  

According to Scott Shapiro, a spokesman for Metronet, Ondrey is currently the only Rock Springs Ridge resident who has filed a complaint to Metronet. He said the company was sending a crew to Rock Springs Ridge on Wednesday to inspect any damage on the grounds.  

“We respond to restoration issues within 24 hours. In Mr. Ondrey’s case, we actually responded within one hour,” Metronet said in a statement to The Apopka Chief. “Our goal is always to restore property as we found it, and we are happy to work with him on that.”  

The city also has not received complaints from Rock Springs Ridge residents about Metronet, according to Sgt. Jennifer Rudich, the Apopka Police Department’s public information officer. She added that if residents do need to file a complaint, they would have to do so with Orange County.  

Simon McKenna, Rock Springs Ridge HOA president, said Ondrey is not alone in his concerns and cited damage to the community’s common areas. He said the issue involves a significant lack of care from multiple contractors and subcontractors working on installations for providers, including Metronet and T-Mobile. 

“We’ve had issues with a number of about four different contractors,” McKenna said in a Tuesday phone interview. “We’ve actually used our attorney to file to tell them that we’re going to seek restitution for damages because they damage portions of our irrigation.” 

McKenna said all of Rock Springs Ridge — a community of more than 1,300 homes — has been affected, but the HOA’s immediate focus is on the common areas, particularly Rock Ridge Boulevard.  

The primary cause of the damage stems from heavy construction vehicles pulling off the road onto grassy areas where shallow irrigation systems and water lines are located, according to McKenna.  

“You pull a 10,000-pound truck to park it on grass on top of irrigation systems that are within a foot or two of the surface, you’re going to damage stuff,” McKenna said, noting the damage includes broken water lines and irrigation leaks. He estimates the cost of repairs is “already into thousands of dollars of repairs.”  

The HOA wants full compensation for all repair costs. Calculating a final number is difficult because contractors “just keep coming out and working at other sections and doing damage again.” 

In its statement to the Chief, Metronet said the HOA has not contacted the company.  

According to Ondrey, the city of Apopka is aware of Rock Springs Ridge’s situation with Metronet. He filed a complaint to the city through the SeeClickFix app but didn’t file a complaint with Orange County.  

McKenna said the city “actually came down the first day and shut them down.” However, he said the contractors were back to work within hours. McKenna believes the city’s power is limited by the utility companies’ easement rights. 

Despite filing a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission, Ondrey remains skeptical of a satisfactory resolution.  

“I’m not confident that anything’s going to happen at this point,” he said.  

He urged other Apopka residents who will soon face similar installations to take precautions: document everything with photos before and after the work, request clear communication regarding the timeline and impact, and contact the provider immediately when issues occur.  

“I feel this is an issue the public deserves to be aware of,” he said.  

Metronet said major infrastructure improvements always include challenges.  

“These projects are unexpected and can be jarring, so we appreciate everyone’s patience,” Metronet said in its statement. “But in the end, the neighborhood will have state-of-the-art communications infrastructure.”