Water runoff has turned most of Paul Marinaccio’s 40 acres in Clarence into a wetland.

How it happened angers him.

What came along with all that water terrifies him – frogs.

“I’m petrified of the little creatures,” said Marinaccio, 65.

If that sounds bizarre or far-fetched, consider one of Marinaccio’s childhood memories. He traces his deep-seated fear of frogs to when he was a child in an Italian vineyard, where his parents worked. He remembers wandering to a nearby property for figs and being chased away by a man holding bullfrogs.

Decades later, frogs again have Marinaccio on the run. In the spring and summer months, they show up on his driveway and lawn – keeping him inside his home. Marinaccio sued the Town of Clarence and the developer of a nearby subdivision for diverting runoff onto his land and won a $1.6 million award.

“I beat the government,” he said.