Florida Homeowners (should be) Declared an Endangered Species

Late Winter 2008

I was driving between Naples and Venice along Florida's southwest coast when I decided to stop at the office of a realtor who worked for a major Florida home builder. That's where Phil worked and he hadn't seen a prospect for weeks. A prospect I wasn't, but I wanted to get a sense for what the real estate market was like in the area. Phil was pleasant and helpful but something inside of him wouldn't be denied. Had a story to tell and a need to spill it out to anyone who would listen. It wasn't a direct answer to my question but revealed something that was marginally related and painfully poignant.

Last Fall he was living in an apartment while having a house built by the development company for whom he worked. He and his future wife were following closely the ongoing construction and looking forward to the anticipated completion date and their upcoming wedding. One afternoon they were in the apartment and the sky began to darken markedly. They were on the side of the building opposite what turned out to be an approaching hurricane. The winds built up to a frightening velocity and they began seeing loose lumber and house parts rocketing past their side windows.

He heard roaring, ripping, break up noises on the other side of the structure. Included in the sounds was the unmistakable shearing noise of the walls being peeled up and then away from the apartment house and then slamming into anything in their path. Luckily, they and their possessions survived. But not really.

When it was all over he received a call. His new, almost completed home, had been demolished down to the footings. Some protracted time passed before the insurance claims were processed and paid. The time delay was critical.

They were later attempting to proceed with the reconstruction only to be notified that an endangered animal species had been discovered in the area and that rebuilding was prohibited. His piece of land together with the surrounding land owned by his company worth 100 million dollars was no longer eligible for construction. There was no grandfathering provision and so his plot which is listed as worth $75,000 and which he pays taxes on has to remain fallow. Because of a rare endangered species of bird his property has become like a bird as well, an albatross.

Beyond the pathos of his story is the underlying irony. At a time when investment in housing and home purchases have stopped dead in their tracks, governmental authorities are doing things like this to make matters even worse. 

We need to change our priorities. Florida homeowners themselves, should be given all the care and benefits of being an "Endangered Species".