Retirees say developers vanished, left them in limbo

Article Courtesy of Bay News9

July 13 2009

POLK COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- The new community was supposed to be their dream destination, a place to call home for their retirement. But that dream shattered when the developers vanished, leaving homes unfinished.

The residents at La Cresta in Polk County say the economy and a legal dispute between the developer, Del Webb, and the land development company have kept the community from being completed. Under the initial plan, there was supposed to be 1,900 homes and an activity center.

Only about 100 people bought homes. The activity center has yet to be completed.

"We were supposed to have all these amenities," said resident Jerry Melton, who has lived in La Cresta for two years. "We have nothing. We have a house, and many of the

The activity center was not finished before the developer pulled out of the community.

houses are sitting on dirt lots, and it's just tragic."

On Friday, Del Webb surprised homeowners by shutting down all its operations at La Cresta, leaving homeowners very angry.

"When you buy something and you're told something, that's what you expect to get," Melton said.

This weekend, dozens of homeowners met at a nearby golf club for an emergency meeting to decide their next step. After just an hour, they decided that the next step will be legal action.

"We're hoping Del Webb will see they can't run over people like this," Melton said.

The residents also plan to contact the Attorney General's office to file a formal complaint.

Bay News 9 tried to contact the developers, but so far they have not returned any phone calls.