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Saddle Ridge homeowners ask Escambia commissioners to vacate drainage easements after being cited
Summary
Several Saddle Ridge residents told the county their plats and closing documents omitted easement restrictions; homeowners said Lennar sales materials did not disclose limits on backyard use and requested county assistance to vacate or mitigate public and private drainage easements.
A group of Saddle Ridge homeowners told the board that easement restrictions on their lots were not clearly disclosed at purchase and that enforcement notices now threaten substantial reductions in usable backyard space.
"We are paying mortgage. We are paying property taxes on property we thought we controlled," said Kimberly McMahon, describing multiple homes that would lose 15 to 30 feet of backyard under the county's easement maps. Homeowners showed maps and photographs and said Lennar-provided lot maps and closing packages omitted the language that appeared on county-approved plats and that some deed pages were not provided to closing buyers.
Homeowners reported that some AC units and trash-can areas were placed on private easements by the developer, and that homeowners received citations from county code enforcement for structures (fences, sheds and pools) already in place. One homeowner said a pool permit had been issued and closed in 2024; a later citation would force moving a fence to a location that might conflict with state safety rules or damage the pool.
Commissioners indicated sympathy and directed staff to have engineering and code-enforcement review the properties. They asked staff not to enforce citations immediately on public drainage easements while the review is pending and asked for a report back with options to minimize homeowner impact. Staff committed to investigate and return with recommendations.
Why it matters: If plats, permits or disclosures were incomplete or improperly conveyed to buyers, affected homeowners face property-value losses and practical burdens. The county's review could identify procedural gaps in plan approvals, title work, or developer disclosures.
