DANIA BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) – Dania Beach homeowners don’t like what’s hanging over their heads and want the city to protect their families and property.
7’s Heather Walker investigates.
Three-year-old Katie loves to play.
Michael Combs: “Do you want to play?”
Her backyard was always her favorite place.
Heather Walker: “Is your daughter’s playhouse downstairs?”
Michael Combs: “Yes.”
And now the theater is covered in blue tarps as construction dust and debris falls from above.
Not only her playhouse, but her entire backyard is currently cordoned off for her own safety.
Heather Walker: “Is this your forever home?”
Michael Combs: “Yes, this was to be our forever home. We spent a lot of time, money, effort, blood and sweat to make this house the way we wanted it. I poured it.”
Michael Combs and his wife wanted to raise their family and then retire here. But their plans were scuppered last year when construction began on a nearby apartment building.
Their once quiet neighborhood is now filled with the sounds of construction.
Even more worrisome is the crane passing over his home.
Michael Combs: “It’s a monster. I mean, it’s really disturbing.”
Since construction began, it has been unsettling and costly. Michael was forced to repair his car, which was dripping with concrete, and his air conditioning unit, which was covered in dust.
And he’s not alone. A neighbor’s fence and tree were also damaged during construction.
Michael Combs: “Normally, a nail would fall, a chunk of concrete would fall. Actually, I hit the nail on the head. If it had ended like this, I would be standing here talking to you right now. There probably wasn’t.”
The project was approved by the Dania Beach City Commission in 2022. Developers bought up homes in the neighborhood, but Michaels was not among them.
Michael Combs: “We trust your local government as residents and taxpayers to care about you. Rather than ignore us and build around us, I think they should have forced the contractor to work something out with us, including my neighbors.”
7 Investigations has reached out to the developer, The Apollo Companies. They offered to buy Michael’s house, but Michael said nothing was ever documented.
As for the dust and damage, Apollo Companies said it had pressure washed the property and offered to make repairs.
Michael Combs: “We have hope that we can come out of this situation in a positive way. But as far as our dream of living here and retiring here, that dream is gone. That won’t happen.”
Michael has put his house on the market and wants to find a new place to call home.
Heather Walker, 7News.
Contact 7 investigates:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]
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