Florida City Cites Woman ... for Living Off-Grid

She won't hook up to water or electric, though she did use the sewer system
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 26, 2014 4:21 PM CST
Updated Mar 2, 2014 11:16 AM CST
Florida City Cites Woman ... for Living Off-Grid
Stock image   (Shutterstock)

A Florida woman is in a legal fight with the city of Cape Coral for the right to live without municipal water or electricity—off the grid, as she puts it to WBBH-TV. The city just played a trump card, though: It capped the sewer at the house of 50-something Robin Speronis, so now she'll have to figure out a way to dispose of her waste by other means, reports the News-Press. She vows to do so, and she similarly vows to fight a judge's order to hook up to the city water supply.

“I know how to live off the grid completely and in a sanitary way,” says Speronis, who began living without most city utilities more than a year ago thanks to solar panels and treated rainwater. The city slapped her with a slew of ordinance violations after Fox 4 did a story about her lifestyle, and the case made it to court last week. A judge gave Speronis 30 days to reconnect to city water, noting that she'd been using the sewer system without paying for it. After the hearing, the city capped her sewer, a move she calls "pure evil." But a spokesperson says the city had no choice: Speronis hasn't been paying for the service and made clear she had no intention of doing so. (More Florida stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X