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Article Courtesy of Channel
8 News On Your Side
By
Mahsa Saeidi
Published August 17, 2023
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WATCH VIDEO |
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TAMPA — A nurse in Sarasota is beyond frustrated, telling 8 On Your Side she
can’t repair the inside of her house until her HOA repairs the outside of her
house.
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Kelly Roberts says she feels like she’s being forced to live
in a construction zone as the damage from Hurricane Ian
continues to fester. She says her life is at a standstill
and she blames her HOA for the holdup.
With nowhere to turn, she called 8 On Your Side Investigator
Mahsa Saeidi for help.
Even though her insurance company has agreed to fix the
inside of her unit, Kelly can’t put up drywall, fix the
floors or the ceiling.
“The cracks and everything need to be fixed,” said Kelly.
A crack in the exterior wall was inspected two months ago.
According to an engineer’s report, the wall was letting
water into Kelly’s unit. He recommended “repairs be
performed as soon as possible.”
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“I was told by the contractor and the water specialist, if I was to put
drywall up on these walls, I’d be full of mold in two days,” Kelly recalled.
Kelly says her HOA gave her the runaround. Then, the City of Sarasota
stepped in last month and cited the HOA, noting the “exterior wall in
disrepair.”
Yet, nearly a year after Hurricane Ian, the issue still persists.
8 On Your Side emailed, called and even spoke to one HOA member to press for
progress.
The city says they’re actively working with the HOA to resolve the issue.
“The association has been notified that several steps must be taken to
correct the violation, which include hiring a company to make repairs and
applying for a permit to conduct the work,” said a City of Sarasota
spokesman.
“I get up every morning and this is what I look at … I live in filth every
day,” said Kelly. “This has taken my entire savings from me and my home. My
two securities that mean the most to me and that’s the truth.”
Once you get a citation, you have a limited amount of time to address the
issue.
If you don’t, the city will start to impose fines against you and your
property.
So the clock is ticking.
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