Parkland homes vacated thanks to Chinese drywall
According to the task force appointed by the City Commission to gauge the impact of the problem, a significant number of people have either moved out of their homes or are in the process of doing so. John Willis, task force member, told city officials that 151 people within the city had responded to a question on whether they were planning to vacate their house due to the problem. "Fifty percent of the people said they are planning to move out. I know of at least 12 families that have already left their homes. I think we will see more of that happen in the next few months." ...Although tests are yet to conclusively prove that the defective drywall causes health problems, 49 percent of the 173 people who responded to a question on the subject said they were having health issues like nosebleeds, shortness of breath and asthma. Twenty one people in the city contacted insurance companies to see if the losses would be covered, with only two getting a positive response.
Parkland homes vacated thanks to Chinese drywall
ARUN SIVASANKARAN
Parkland continues to reel under the impact the Chinese drywall issue has had on many families within the city.
According to the task force appointed by the City Commission to gauge the impact of the problem, a significant number of people have either moved out of their homes or are in the process of doing so.
John Willis, task force member, told city officials that 151 people within the city had responded to a question on whether they were planning to vacate their house due to the problem. "Fifty percent of the people said they are planning to move out. I know of at least 12 families that have already left their homes. I think we will see more of that happen in the next few months."
Although tests are yet to conclusively prove that the defective drywall causes health problems, 49 percent of the 173 people who responded to a question on the subject said they were having health issues like nosebleeds, shortness of breath and asthma. Twenty one people in the city contacted insurance companies to see if the losses would be covered, with only two getting a positive response.
As of May 3, 189 people had responded to the questionnaire on the city's Web page, Willis said. "At least 34 responses came from neighborhoods that don't have Chinese drywall. It is not clear how many homes actually have the problem. There were 103 responses from Heron Bay, 47 from Parkland Golf and Country Club, and six each from Parkland Isles and Parkland Estates."
"The property appraiser's office has informed us that those who vacate their residence due to the problem will not lose their homestead exemption," Willis said. "About 30 Parkland residents have been granted the right to file a late claim in the bankruptcy court against the WCI. Others who are dealing with the problem can also file a motion to extend the deadline for filing claims against WCI in the court."
The city has done all it could to help residents, Mayor Michael Udine said. "We needed to get the ball rolling and that is what we did. Now we need somebody to come up with a real solution. The solution will be nationwide. The city's task force should continue with information gathering."
Commissioner Jared Moskowitz wanted the city to send letters to owners of vacant homes in the Parkland Golf and Country Club (PGCC). "PGCC is not as organized as Heron Bay; there are a lot of empty homes there. We need to inform people that their homes may have this problem."
Timothy Townsend, University of Florida department of environmental engineering sciences professor, said his department had collected Chinese drywall samples from Parkland and other parts of the state. "We have about 50 samples; we have some American products as well for comparison. We need to understand the problem before we can have the fix."
"When drywall is disposed off in landfills, it causes odor producing gases," Townsend said. "When drywall becomes wet, it will produce gases that can corrode metal. There is literature that suggests that it can have an impact on those who have respiratory issues."
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