Florida homeowners who enrolled in the state-managed Rebuild Florida Hurricane Irma Repair and Replacement Program continue to face issues, six years after the promise of aid following Hurricane Irma in 2017.

With the completion deadline looming, these homeowners are now turning to the federal government for help, as they still await the fulfillment of the state’s commitments under Rebuild Florida.

Denise Rotolante’s home exemplifies the ongoing challenges, from plants sprouting from her gutters to chaotic electrical wiring inside. She expected the program to solve her problems but instead found it created new ones.

“I could have fixed my house for a fraction of what they billed — two PODS, hotel rooms, all this money spent with no work done here,” Rotolante stated, highlighting the inefficiency and cost overruns.

For years, Rotolante has been alerting Florida Commerce, previously known as the Department of Economic Opportunity, about the substandard work on her home, only to receive a dismissive response.

“I call the guy at DEO, and he just sends my complaint back too — nobody wants to deal with it. There’s no accountability,” she said.

Her health has also suffered, with stress from the situation exacerbating her battle with Multiple Myeloma, a cancer that has led to significant physical deterioration.

Debbie Pardon echoed similar frustrations with the program, pointing out the lack of oversight and the prolonged displacement from homes.

“There should be a legitimate time period for people to be out of their homes. It shouldn’t take months for us to be in hotels with no work being done,” Pardon explained.

After returning to her home, Pardon discovered that central air conditioning, promised repeatedly, was not part of the repair scope, leaving her with inadequate window units for cooling.

Both Rotolante and Pardon showed contracts with escalating change orders but a persistent lack of quality work or fulfilled promises.

“It’s unbelievable that there’s no one to go to for accountability. These contractors are walking away with lots of money while completely ruining the lives of the victims,” said Rotolante.

Florida Commerce responded to these complaints, stating for Rotolante, “Ms. Rotolante’s project is now complete… storage pods were provided to her at no cost and were fully covered by the contractor. Her home was ready for inspection on August 29, 2024, but she requested additional time before allowing access.”

Regarding Pardon, they clarified, “Ms. Pardon’s scope of work did not include an AC replacement, as the HVAC system was fully operational when repairs began… The FloridaCommerce team remains in contact with Ms. Pardon.”

However, when further questioned about the absence and damage of Pardon’s wall units, Florida Commerce did not respond but provided an update on the program’s progress, “The Rebuild Florida program is currently completing 125 homes in construction and 9 in preconstruction, aiming to serve a total of 3,926 homes.”

As scrutiny from both state and federal lawmakers increases on how taxpayer funds are being utilized, there’s a glimmer of hope for additional federal assistance to address these ongoing issues.

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(Image credit: Florida Today)