RUSKIN, Fla. — A Ruskin-based non-profit that offers hope for veterans with PTSD and Gold Star families is moving to another county following a year-long dispute with Hillsborough County.
My Warrior’s Place has announced it is selling its prime location on Little Manatee River to move to a new location in Charlotte County, Florida, near Punta Gorda.
“My Warrior’s Place is a retreat center where they can come. It’s a safe haven,” said My Warrior’s Place founder Kelly Kowall.
Kelly Kowall said what has been a place of tranquility for veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is now threatened by increased traffic and potential development.
It started in 2021, after Hillsborough County changed the road sign leading to her retreat from a private drive to a county road, leading to a legal dispute over who could access the property and how.
“If we can’t provide that safety in the number of people that are coming onto the property, we can’t stay,” Kowall said.
She said after the sign was changed from a “private road” sign, her retreat has seen an influx of traffic, including people who speed and litter.
Kowall said more than 50,000 veterans and their families have visited My Warrior's Place since it opened in 2012. Veterans can kayak, canoe, and fish on the property and enjoy the company of others who share the same challenges faced by those who have returned from or lost loved ones to war.
Many veterans helped by My Warrior's Place are from the same generation as Kowall's son Corey who died in Afghanistan.
The latest statistics show 15 percent of veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom reported suffering from PTSD last year. Estimates are that 29 percent of those veterans will report it in their lifetimes.
“We’re not gonna stop what we’re doing. We’re not gonna stop any of our programs. We’re just gonna be relocating to another place,” said Kowall.
She expects the riverfront property to be listed for sale in the coming days after Kowall decided to give up her legal battle against the county.
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“We don’t feel that the little bit of funding we do receive should be spent on lawyer’s fees and court costs,” she said.
Kowall said her organization bought a bigger piece of property in Charlotte County, complete with a stocked fishing lake. The offer was accepted on what would have been Corey's 34th birthday last week.
“It’s 12-and-a-half acres. And we went and talked to the county commissioners there and other government officials down there, and they’re excited to have us come,” Kowol said.
She says that while it will be a loss to local veterans, she says they'll always be welcome to visit her at my warrior's place's new home.
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