Derek Powell told the Martin County Board of County Commissioners during public comment that stormwater and construction activity tied to a nearby development have damaged his property on Cove Road and neighboring yards.

"There's no accountability when it comes to these developers and the damage they're causing to my property and the surrounding area," Powell said. He said he had sent "3 or 4 emails" to the board and received no reply and asked the county to inspect the site and address water running onto his land.

A second commenter, who identified herself as representing the Fern Creek Property Association, said about 24 homes border the development and described mud and water that breached silt fencing and was pushed into three yards. She said trucks were operating as early as 5 a.m., that heavy equipment was creating road damage on local streets, and that a neighborhood pond was seeing higher water levels that could force residents to consider flood insurance. "It was truly a big mess, probably an EPA violation," she said.

County staff and commissioners responded during the public comment item. County Engineer Michael Grzalka said county crews responded after receiving notice of a spill and that the contractor and developer were contacted to get the situation under control. "We immediately sent people out there, got a hold of the contractor, got a hold of the developer, got it under control," Grzalka said, and added that it took two to three days to clean up some of the material.

Grzalka told the board that the county would address roadside swales and rutted sections of road, but said the pond outfall and the ditch leaving the HOA pond are the homeowners association's maintenance responsibility. "The roadside swales are ours to maintain. The pond and the outfall out of the pond ... is the maintenance response of the HOA," he said.

Commissioners said they and staff had visited the site and that staff had previously sent written responses to Powell. Commissioner Campe told Powell she found his earlier presentation "compelling" and said staff had provided technical responses that should have been shared with the full board. Campe and other commissioners urged patience while engineers and field operations continued to investigate and resolve drainage and erosion issues.

Several commissioners also raised concerns about contractor behavior if the developer proves noncompliant with county conditions. One commissioner noted the developer on the site is Lennar and said the county would expect better conduct when the company seeks future permits.

What happens next: The county engineer said staff would re‑inspect the site and follow up with the contractor and developer; Grzalka said staff would look into the 5 a.m. work allegation the following day. Commissioners said they would rely on technical reports from the county engineer and field operations when determining further enforcement or corrective actions.

The public comments and staff responses occurred during the meeting's public comment period before the FY2026 final budget hearing portion of the agenda.