ELLENTON, Fla. – A run-down home in Manatee County has turned one woman’s retirement into a nightmare.
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What we know:
Patti Clark chose Colony Cove, a 55-and-up community in Ellenton, to spend her golden years after her husband died. She purchased her house two years ago, hoping to discover a new community to call home.
“In my last decade in my life, I wanted to be around people,” Clark said. “I wanted join clubs, activities, do arts and crafts and play bingo.”
She says those plans changed because of the deteriorating pink house next door.
What they’re saying:
“I’m a senior and I’m by myself,” Clark said. “I don’t want to live in a house knowing that there’s squatters next door.”
Neighbor Nancy Ross says the home has remained in poor condition since Hurricane Milton.
Why you should care:
“If we get a really bad storm, there’s things that are just hanging in there,” she said. “I mean they’re not even attached to the house anymore.”
The backstory:
Clark alleges the situation began before she bought her home. She showed FOX 13’s Blake DeVine a sign posted on the neighboring property that read ‘Future New Home Site.’
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Clark says the sign led her to believe the existing house would be demolished and replaced.
“It was really kind of false deception for me to buy the house,” she said. “I thought it was going to be demolished.”
As the months passed, neighbors say conditions surrounding the property continued to worsen.
“There’s rats here and debris laying around,” Ross said. “I think it needs to be torn down.”
Clark believes there is only one way to resolve the situation.
“Tear that house down immediately or I want the money back that I paid on this house,” she concluded. “I want my lot fee back and I’ll be out of this community.”
FOX 13 reached out to the property management group for Colony Cove for comment and is still waiting on a response.
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