Diane Reid’s condo is a mess.
“I go out to eat a lot,” she said.
So is Peter Fox’s.
“The most frustrating thing is waiting. It’s been 5 months since the flood,” he said.
Both are basically forced to stay on the second floor while they continue to wait for repairs at the Islands Condominium Complex in Crystal River.
166 units here have damage caused when Hurricane Hermine went by the Nature Coast in September.
“I kind of go with the flow but it is stressful,” said Fox.
Management blames delays on the insurance companies. Other say it’s FEMA’s fault. And residents are pointing fingers at the contractor.
“It’s like they are all working together and if we ask questions they don’t want to talk about it. We are being kept in the dark,” said Reid.
But we saw plenty of people asking questions of Statewide Restoration Services president Bob Benson.
He said they are working right now, starting with homes belonging to the elderly and disabled, and permanent residents who live here full time.
“Permits are working to be pulled. The permits that are pulled are the ones we are working on right now,” said Benson.
He said many residents understand the process. And the complaints are from a small group.
“That’s coming from one or two homeowners that want to use their own contractor or think they can make money on their own unit,” said Benson.
This community has flooded before, most recently, 1993’s no-name storm.
But this time a common complaint seems to be lack of communication as to when life will finally return to normal.
“It’s like anything else, it’s like the government. If you don’t let the people know then rumors start. Everybody wants to know what’s exactly going on,” said Fox.
Several of the homeowners here have gotten attorneys and they are looking into what legal action they can take.
