FORT MYERS, Fla. — More than two and a half years after Hurricane Ian, dozens of condo units in the Seven Lakes community in Fort Myers remain uninhabitable, according to neighbors who said they’re still waiting for answers.
Watch as Fort Myers Community Correspondent Anvar Ruziev hears from neighbors at the community:
Residents invited a Fox 4 News to view the damage firsthand, but security at the front gate did not allow access.
Videos and photos were provided by neighbors and show several buildings, they say are still under construction since the 2022 storm.
"We put an eight lane bridge across the Mississippi River in St. Louis in three years,” said Bill Barrow, a seasonal resident at Seven Lakes. “And I don't feel this should take three years to get drywall and sheet rock up."
Fox 4 reached out to the community’s management team to ask for updates on the repair timeline and a breakdown of how HOA funds have been spent. We are still waiting to hear back.
In the meantime, residents say they’ve been paying monthly HOA fees of around $1,100, plus special assessments, for homes they haven’t been able to live in since Ian.
"I feel bad for the people who've been out of their units for probably it's gonna at least three years and they're still paying that 1100 a month,” Barrow said.
The delays have taken a financial toll. Some neighbors have had to return to work, despite age or health concerns, just to cover the ongoing costs.
"There are some people who had to go back to work in order to pay their HOA fees and find another place to rent,” Barrow added. “I mean, I have one lady who actually has a back brace on working as a cashier now 'cause she had to go back to work in order to pay her HOAs."
Others have chosen to sell their units altogether. A local realtor told Fox 4 that one of his clients recently decided to list their condo, saying he was “done with the headaches.”
According to that realtor and several residents, it could be more than six additional months before all damaged units are repaired. Fox 4 will continue to follow the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.
