Windermere drainage problem opens legal floodgates

A drainage issue that started as a trickle nine years ago has grown into a torrent of legal problems for Windermere.

Since 2009, the tiny southwest Orange County town has been locked in court battles with Andrew McCarthy, a 30-year-old attorney who lives in Windermere and claims that flooding at his Second Avenue home is the town's fault.

Windermere denies the allegation, but the Town Council agreed this week to offer McCarthy $275,000 to settle the matter after spending $211,000 on legal fees. The settlement would be paid by the town's insurance carrier, Florida Municipal Insurance Trust.

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