Act Quickly: House Bill 1005 proposes to completely Abolish the Florida Homeowner's Construction Recovery Fund
Our worst fears are threatening to become a reality, and we must act quickly to stop this from happening. Representative Dennis Ross is sponsoring HB 1005, that changes the construction licensure law, Chapter 489, Florida Statutes.  He is doing this at the request of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, which asks the Legislature to Abolish the Recovery Fund.

Family blames illness on mold infested home
A Naples family says mold is growing in their home and now it's making them sick. But the company that built the home says it's not their fault. For John and Diane Mathieu, their brand new dream home turned into a nightmare. "I don't want anybody else to go through what I have. I am fighting for my life because of that home," said Diane. The Mathieus say their home was built without proper water-proofing, which led to mold growing in the pillars.  See website:The Naples Lemon House

The Gold Mine Has Turned Into The Money Pit In Florida
The Bradenton Herald reports from Florida. “Jo Lynne Navarro wants her $270,000 back. That’s how much the Sarasota County woman paid to reserve two Bel Mare at Riviera Dunes condominium units two-and-a-half years ago. The units existed only in glossy sales brochures at the time, but Navarro - like many others lured by a sizzling condo market - was eager to buy early.”

Homicide victim linked to failed Punta Gorda builders
A Fort Myers man who was shot and killed early Tuesday was a licensed contractor associated with two failed Punta Gorda builders whose companies are under investigation in a series of construction fraud complaints. A spokeswoman for the the Fort Myers Police would not reveal whether the department is looking into homicide victim Clifford C. Joyner's links to builders Gary Oben and Dean Rossey, the principals in Floridian Gulf Coast Homes, Ideal Homes and G C Construction.

WHO CHECKS TO SEE IF HOMES ARE FLAWED?
MORE AND MORE, IT'S PRIVATE INSPECTORS A 2002 law lets the builder decide, and the builder doesn't have to inform the potential buyer. Is it a conflict of interest? The private inspectors say no, but the question lingers because the builder is paying the bill. The construction flaws John Norman found in his new Jacksonville home angered him. -- What he found next left him stunned. -- His house made it from start to finish without ever getting a visit from a city inspector. Instead, the homebuilder hired a state-licensed company to inspect the house for compliance with building codes, an arrangement that has been legal in Florida since 2002... In Jacksonville, the Building Inspection Division examines the performance of private inspectors by randomly picking about 7 percent of passed inspections for on-site visits. From September 2005 through last June, it conducted 2,310 on-site reviews and sent deficiency notices after 500 of those reviews, which was almost 22 percent of the visits.

Lawsuit: Home builder did not correct defects
Homeowners in a south Orange County town-home community are taking their long-running dispute with the home builder Toll Bros. to court, contending that numerous construction defects have not been corrected.The homeowners association for Island Walk at Meadow Woods filed suit last week in state Circuit Court in Orlando, seeking unspecified damages. The suit contends the association and homeowners have been damaged financially as a result of "construction defects relating to the building exteriors, streets and drainage, landscaping and the pool at Island Walk."

Critics: Wetlands proposal harmful
Bill would strip local officials of oversight unless they foot funds. Environmentalists and local government officials say a bill moving through the state Legislature could severely restrict efforts to preserve a key feature of their natural resources — wetlands. "Developers in Florida are out of control," she said. "They are lashing out at the one thing that is trying to protect the rest of us — local governments."

Sarasoto County Control Growth Now
One path leads to gridlock, higher taxrs, polution and other problems caused by over overgrowth.  On Tursday, March 13, all voters in Sarasota County will have a chance to vote for better control of growth in the cities. A Charter amendment will be on the ballot. It provides that if a City annexes land, County land use rules apply unless the County and the City have a Joint Planning Agreement. Control Growth Now News

Herald-Tribune: Defunct Builder Costs Florida Bank Millions
The parent of Coast Bank of Florida will post a $17.3 million loss for 2006 as it tries to recover from a major loan crisis. The company said Friday it has added $21 million to its loan-loss reserve, $14 million of which is tied to 482 loans it made to customers of a defunct home builder.  After an "exhaustive" review of those loans, which originally totaled $110 million, Coast now believes it stands to lose $14 million at most.

Lawyer's client list grows in Coast case
A Sarasota attorney is representing at least 100 clients who are ready to take on Coast Bank and the developer who left them saddled with mortgages on unfinished homes. Tannenbaum said he is planning a class action against CCI and the entities that packaged the real estate investment deals - including Seashore Resorts and American Mortgage Link.