5 months after fire, residents
frustrated by no repair work at Clearwater condo
Article Courtesy of Channel 8 News
By Victoria Price
Published January 25, 2019
CLEARWATER - A Clearwater
condo complex damaged by fire last summer
may soon cut through the red tape that has
prevented repairs.
It's been five months
since fire gutted part of a building at Imperial Cove. The
fire damaged or destroyed nearly a dozen units and since
then, many neighbors have lived without heat or air.
Some have been displaced entirely.
Despite what some condo owners call an "emergency"
situation, no repair work has been done.
Residents call it frustrating but don't really know who is
at fault.
"It's just wrong, that's all," said Peter Dunn, who lives in
one of the units that lost its heating and air because of
the fire.
"This is an emergency situation, people should have seen
that."
Dunn can't understand why it's taking so long for
building permits to be issued while some residents have nowhere to live but
are still subjected to paying association dues and other fees each month.
Some have even decided not to come back, he said.
Imperial Cove is a 55+ community and Dunn explained some of the older
residents are on a fixed income.
Condo association treasurer Ray Henney had hoped repair work would be well
underway by now. He even wrote to the city in November asking how they could
expedite the process. He never heard back.
Instead, he says the city and the contractor have gone back and forth with
revisions for months.
"I don't know who to blame," Henney said. "I don't think it's just one
person."
8 On Your Side reached out to the City of Clearwater who said its hands were
tied as it waits for information from the contractor.
Ultimately, after 8 On Your Side reached out to both, the city and the
contractor agreed Tuesday they would meet to sort out the permit's final
hurdle.
"I believe your involvement here today has stimulated some positive
activity," Henney said.
The contractor told Henney he plans to meet with a representative from the
city Wednesday to iron out the final revisions delaying the permits.
Henney says once the permits are issued, they're hopeful the repair work
will take six to eight weeks.