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Unhappy Homeowners Were Fighting Back

Tribune file photo by LAURA KINSLER

Live Oak Preserve residents took to the street, protesting against Engle Homes and its developer-owned cable company during a sales event.

By LAURA KINSLER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 2, 2008

NEW TAMPA - New Tampa homeowners are mad as hell and they're not going to take it anymore.

In October, homeowner discontent with developers boiled over. In Live Oak Preserve, residents took to the street, protesting against Engle Homes and its developer-owned cable company, during a sales event.

Cory Lake Isles residents sued developer Gene Thomason's hand-picked homeowners association over access to financial records. They pressured his son into resigning from the community development district board.

"It's unfortunate that we had to do this kind of dance — and it is a dance," plaintiff Dan Morford said.

Thomason's private development company has billed Cory Lake Isles residents more than $4.6 million over the past five years to run the nearly 1,000-home community. Morford, one of seven plaintiffs in the lawsuit, wants to know how he spent the money.

"It's going to get ugly – well, it already is ugly," lawyer Mark Basurto said after reading the response from the association's lawyer.

In nearby Live Oak Preserve, more than 20 homeowners carried picket signs on a Sunday afternoon while Engle Homes hosted a grand opening for its new model homes. Some complained about broken gates and security guards sleeping on the job. Others want out of the 10-year cable TV contract. Still others were upset over being charged for pest control services after Engle homes canceled the contract.

Since that day, the property manager has hired a new security company and started work to replace and improve the broken gates. Engle also has hired a lawyer to find a way out of the cable TV contract, which may be voided next year by the Federal Communications Commission.

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