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St. Petersburg couple sues builder after problems with home built in 60 days

Couple bought a $305,000 home in St. Petersburg
Posted at 11:50 PM, May 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-02 02:54:39-04

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A Pinellas County couple is suing the builder and seller after buying a home in St. Peterburg that was built in nearly 60 days.

The homeowners are suing the seller, ML Hawke Enterprises, LLC and the builder, TB Roofing and Construction, LLC (TRBC).

Desire Campos said she bought the home in St. Petersburg nearly two years ago.

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"It was our first home together. We were really excited about it. We chose to build new because we thought it was a good choice," said Desire Campos.

Three months after the homeowners moved into the home, they noticed floor tiles were cracking.

"We can't live in our own home. We can't paint the walls or decorate," Campos said.

The lawsuit stated screws continued to pop out of drywall in the home. The door frames in the home developed gaps and were askew.

"You can see sunlight through the rear door and the front door and then the interior doors you can see straight through to the master bathroom," Campos said.

The lawsuit stated, "all of those signs clearly pointed to structural and foundation failure..."

"It's like living in a state of limbo not knowing what's going to happen," she added.

The lawsuit stated, "TBRC made an attempt in March, 2018 to repair the flooring and drywall in the home. During that attempted repair, base boards were chipped when flooring was replaced."

"They came in to fix things and every time they came in and fixed things, they broke other things and then they just stopped responding to us. They said their hands were done with the project and it was our problem basically," said Campos.

The lawsuit alleged the seller, ML Hawke, breached its contract with the homeowners by selling them a home that ML Hawke knew was defective.

"I want it made right. I want our investment to actually be an investment," Campos said.

Campos said she did not know the home was built in nearly 60 days until she was already under contract with the seller.

"Less than 60 days, that's their selling point. They can build a home for you in less than 60 days," she said.

ABC Action News reached out to the attorney representing the defendants listed in the lawsuit. We are waiting on a response.