BABCOCK RANCH, Fla — When people moved into Palmetto Landing in Babcock Ranch, they say their builder told them their front doors would be hurricane impact rated.
But they aren't - and they say the issue is the window above the door or what's known as a transom window.
Since Fox 4’s Hendry County Community Correspondent Austin Schargorodski works near this area every day, people there know him - so a neighbor called, frustrated that the home-builder wants to bolt shutters over their doors instead of fixing them.
Watch what neighbors told Austin:
Irene Gettel is retired and spends her time teaming up with her grandkids in Fortnite while her two Shih Tzus keep watch.
“Oh man, when I got my first win the roof came off,” said Gettel proudly.
It's not the roof that brought Austin to Irene's house - it’s her front door. Last May, she moved into her villa. She says her builder told her it was hurricane-impact proof. That’s the main reason she moved here - because she's disabled and can't put up shutters.
But last month, her peace of mind changed when she got a letter from the builder that read, “it's been brought to our attention that the transom, which is part of the door assembly installed in your home, does not have the hurricane bolts and shutters required," Gettel said, reading from the letter. "And that's when we looked at that and said, 'What do you mean?'"
Because that’s not what was in her build contract. "Here you can see it specifically lists transom, and in all caps, impact," Gettel said.
Gettel says she lived here through two hurricanes thinking her home was protected. She says her insurance rates will go up since it’s not, and she tells me the phase 2 villas in the neighborhood are affected.
Pam Niemeier lives across the street and got the same letter.
"It makes you very angry because you're misled," Niemeier said. "They’re telling you this is what it is, and you find out that it’s not."
Austin reached out to the builder, D.R. Horton, to ask about what happened. In a statement, Southwest Florida Division President Justin Robbins said the glass in the transom does not meet Florida impact ratings and requires opening protection, but that protection was overlooked during construction. He said they are reaching out to affected customers to install the required protection.
But Gettel says that’s not a solution, because the transom was supposed to be impact-rated. "It’s ridiculous," Gettel said. "Just fix the door, it’s that simple."
When asked what their next step is, Gettel says she and her neighbors plan to take their concerns to the county.
"We plan on going to the commissioners meeting," she said. "We plan to have about 15 people going, and I plan to have packets to give to the commissioners that have all our supporting documentation."
