JENSEN BEACH, Fla. — It’s been more than four months since residents were forced out of their homes at the Villa Del Sol Condos in Martin County, after an inspection found three of the buildings were unsafe.
Now condo owners are deciding when they should begin paying for the repairs.
Christine Chico is a resident on the property and spoke to WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield about how the past four months have been.
“It's hard to look at every day,” said Chico. “It really is.”
Chico’s building was not affected by the evacuation in August, but she's still paying the price.
Four months ago, a structural engineer hired by Villa Del Sol found extensive damage during an inspection.
The buildings were then "red-tagged" rendering them unsafe for occupancy.
Thursday morning, condo owners voted against funding their Structural Integrity Reserve, which are funds for long term maintenance and structural replacements.
Instead, they want to postpone repair costs until 2026.
“Nobody wants to spend any more money,” said Chico. “We will already have so many special assessments, and it would increase our regular maintenance by over $600 a quarter to fund the reserve.”
Chico said the COA also sent out a survey asking if owners would like to continue working on the repairs to the buildings — which costs over $6 million split between 72 units.
Or, start the process of selling the property.
Chico said she'd rather sell.
“I absolutely cannot pay that,” said Chico. “I'm looking at possibly going into foreclosure, not being able to pay this. And I know there are other people in the community that are looking at the same thing.”
Chico told WPTV that while it’s a hefty price tag to consider, she’s glad she’s still in her home… for the time being.
“It's extremely frightening position to be in,” said Chico. “But I feel blessed that I still have a roof over my head, unlike some of my other neighbors.”
