RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A Riviera Beach man is suing the city's Utility Special District, claiming the water caused a months-long illness that impacted his ability to work.
The lawsuit claims the utility was negligent for taking months to notify customers of a positive E. coli test of well water in June, and that the utility breached its contract with customers for failing to provide them with safe drinking water.
Jose Rivera said his symptoms started in September 2023, more than a month after a Riviera Beach well tested positive for E. coli on June 27.
"(I was) sweating. Every time I tried to eat something, I could not hold it," Rivera said. "The minute something touched my stomach — I mean, it was horrible."
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Rivera said he was afraid to leave his home because of his frequent trips to the bathroom.
"The gastroenterologist does an endoscopy. It's normal. He does a colonoscopy. It's normal. And yet (Rivera's) symptoms are consistent with E. coli contamination, nothing else," Nick Johnson, Rivera's attorney, said. "His doctors did everything they could to find a reason why he was having these symptoms and didn't know. None of us knew that the water was contaminated during this period of time.”
The utility did not notify customers until January of the positive E. coli test from June.
The lawsuit points to state mandates that require utilities to notify customers within 24 hours of a positive E. coli test.
WPTV reported in February the Riviera Beach Utility Special District was notified in July by the Florida Department of Health that it had violated rules by not properly reporting that positive test result.
In doing so, the lawsuit alleges "the district acted in bad faith."
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Utility Special District Director Michael Low, Riviera Beach Mayor Ronnie Felder and City Attorney Dawn Wynn did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. City officials have previously said the water is safe to drink, and that well water is not yet treated.
Rivera said he started feeling better in January and that he only drinks bottled water.
Johnson said he is working on additional lawsuits on behalf of more Riviera Beach water customers who believe the drinking water made them sick.
"You're going to see a trend of very similar symptoms across a cross-section of the Riviera Beach community that were suffering during this period of time, all consistent with water contaminated with E. coli," Johnson said. "We want to hold the special district accountable for what happened. We want to be able to provide answers to the public because we still don't believe that all of the information regarding what happened during that period of time is out there."
The utility has not filed its answer to Rivera's complaint.
