Liz Medina and Leigh Ann Zipp did their research. They talked to their friends. And when they finally signed on the dotted line to have their new home built, what had once been a dream began to unravel.

Pasco-based Central Harbor Homes started construction at their shady lot in Ridge Manor, but it wasn’t long before work on the site came to a halt.

For more than two years, the two have been waiting on their dream home. It’s been 10 months since their home has been worked on. Their building permit is now inactive.

On windy days, gusts whip through the door-less front entrance, licking at cabinets warped from exposure.

The wind sends stray pieces of garbage dancing across a concrete slab that has been bare for more than two years.

“This, for both of us, was supposed to be a dream home, and now it’s a living nightmare,” Medina said. “I mean we did our research, but you wouldn’t think we did. What we didn’t do was make sure an attorney looked over everything.”

Medina and Zipp are not alone.

Between 12 and 15 other Hernando County Central Harbor Homes customers are still waiting for their homes to be completed, according to Ron Aliff, a field investigator for contractor licensing with the Hernando County Development Department.

Many others whose homes are completed say that the work isn’t up to par.

Steve Penna, owner of Central Harbor Homes, did not return repeated phone calls. His partner and investor, Mary Skinner, likewise, did not respond to messages.

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office is currently investigating Central Harbor Homes, and the county has received 11 complaints against Penna.

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Web site shows no complaints against the company. Pasco County officials said they have no record of complaints at the contractor licensing department. The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office had no record of investigations involving the company or Steve Penna.

Two of the Hernando County licensing department complaints say the job sites were abandoned. Three complain that a permit was not issued, and one states that the contract with the company was terminated. The other six made more minor claims.

Aliff said the company has been experiencing financial trouble. Penna and his now ex-wife Tara Penna ran the company together, he said. Aliff said their divorce is at the center of the company’s problems.

When Tara Penna filed for divorce about 14 or 15 months ago, the company’s assets were frozen by Tara’s attorney, Aliff said. When the money was freed up, Steve realized there was money missing.

Curt Tourney, the Hernando County Sheriff’s detective responsible for the case, said Tara was a former officer of the company, adding that the company and all of its officers are currently under investigation. He declined to comment further. Tara could not be reached for comment.

Aliff said despite complaints from frustrated residents, he has not taken formal action against Steve Penna because he feels like it would actually cause an even greater slow down in completing homes.

“In this case here, we felt that taking punitive steps against Steve would deter him from progressing,” Aliff said. “Steve is doing as much as he can to get as many of these houses closed as he possibly can…There’s been a couple of times when I thought, ‘Uh oh, this it. This is where it’s stopping,’ but he’s worked really hard and persevered.”

Despite Penna’s efforts, Aliff said there are about 14 Central Harbor customers that he is “almost in constant daily contact with.”

Some have cancelled contracts and completed the work themselves.

Jeff Price is one of those customers. Six months after he singed his contract with Central Harbor Homes, his lot sat empty. In the end, he paid $60,000 out-of-pocket between paying off the subcontractor’s liens for Penna’s unpaid debts and the costs of finishing the home.

For months, Price battled with Penna, trying to get some of his money back. Tired, he gave up in January. And now, disgusted with the situation, and what he says was almost a complete lack of help from the county, Price will soon move back to his native Oklahoma.

Still, Price says he considers himself one of the “lucky ones.” After all, at least he has a house.

After two years of waiting, all Charles Hans’ property has is grass. Hans signed a contract with Central Harbor homes to build a four-unit building. His plan was to live in one and rent the other three out as a means of making extra money.

A single dad, it was not only his dream, but it meant financial security for his daughter down the road. Now he is out the $16,000 he paid for his property. Hans paid Penna an initial $20,000 – but Penna did nothing. When he asked for the money back, Penna said “I don’t know” where it is, Hans said.

“This was for my daughter and myself, for her future for my future…and he just took that away from me,” Hans said.

Others’ homes were completed — mostly.

Cindy Malec said after her home was finished cracks in her foundation and tile in the master bath emerged. Since then, the one-year warranty expired. She knows the problems will never be fixed, she said, — at least not by Central Harbor Homes.

At least seven other homeowners who spoke with Hernando Today had problems after their home was built, including problems getting their homes built or never getting their home built at all.

Hernando Sheriff’s Detective Turney said that there are between six and 10 customers involved in his investigation into Central Harbor Homes and its officers.

But it’s not just the homeowners who have suffered.

Subcontractor Steve Dubois of Al Dubois Roofing almost lost his license in addition to several thousand dollars after he did work for Central Harbor Homes. Dubois placed a lien against Penna after he didn’t receive payment for some jobs. Penna gave him a check, Dubois signed the release, and then Dubois said the check bounced.

After 19 years of working with the company, Dubois never saw it coming.

“He wrote me the bad check, I signed the lien release, and I haven’t heard from him since,” he said. “I’m upset to the point where I’ve just turned my back on the whole thing…they have always been slow-paying, but I never thought anything like this would happen.”

Dubois vowed he will never work with Penna again.

Meanwhile, Liz Medina and Leigh Ann Zipp are still searching for a way out. The duo recently opened a new business and the rest of their money is tied up in the unfinished home.

One subcontractor has filed suit against them for money that Penna still hasn’t paid, and two other companies have liens against their property/home, as well. With no extra cash on hand, the two are left with nothing but waning hope that one day their home may be finished.

At least one Central Harbor Homes’ customer was successful in a civil suit against the company, with the judge awarding him a final settlement of more than $10,000.

Thus far, Medina and Zipp’s search for a lawyer has been unsuccessful. But they are holding out hope they will be able to recoup at least some of the money they have lost.

“What more can I lose,” Medina asked. “At this point I’m just watching everything crumble around me.”

Reporter Morgan Moeller can be contacted at (352) 544-5229.

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