Woman pays bill in pennies

MIAMI—Water, water everywhere. And Dana McCool is paying for every last damned drop—in pennies. More than 49,000 of them.

That’s because the Central Florida woman is engaging in a “peaceful protest” against Deltona Water and paid her $493 bill with pennies. It took employees about two hours to count the copper onslaught.

On Monday, McCool posted her penny dropoff at the utility’s customer service office on Facebook, along with an explanatory video, in which she accuses Deltona Water of “gaslighting its constituency,” ABC’s WFTV9 reported.

“Check your bills! Check your meters! You’re not crazy, people,” McCool said in her Facebook video, as she recounted her own reasons for finally losing her cool with the city’s water company. She also directed social media users to a group on Facebook, Eyes on Deltona Water, where residents are giving their two cents to the discussion.

According to Newsweek, McCool made her “peaceful protest” after receiving bills as high as $700 for six months in 2016. The average bill in the area is $40. She says she’s not alone.

Deltona Water said it had found a leak in her irrigation system and reimbursed McCool for nearly $1,000. But she still had fees and back pay tied to the high bills.

Deltona Water said customers should contact the city as soon as they identify a red flag in their bills. The utility plans to hold a public forum at Deltona City Hall on March 7 to share with residents how meters are read, how they can check for leaks and understand their invoices.