Florida resident Bobby Goodwin's water meter has not been read for 20 years, so he never got a bill. Now Okaloosa County officials want him to pay up.

Based on average residential usage, the ongoing mistake may have totaled about $10,500. But there's a four-year statute of limitations on overdue water and sewer bills, county officials said Wednesday.

Goodwin is willing to pay for part of the error but not all of it, says his lawyer, Jason Osborn of Birmingham, Ala.

Earlier this week, Goodwin made an attempt to pay about $2,700 for three years of service, but the offer was rejected because county lawyers are still trying to figure out how far back to bill him and what to charge, according to Okaloosa Water and Sewer director Jeff Littrell.

Osborn said his client had informed county employees several times over the years that he was not being billed, but they took no action until he recently tried again.

Littrell said a meter installed in 1984 is not a brand the county uses. It may have been put in by a plumber instead of county workers, he said. Also, there is no record of service to Goodwin's home in unincorporated Ocean City, Fla.

Source: Northwest Florida Daily News