Homeowners in a new Pasco County development learned that they moved into their new homes before final county inspections were completed.
The I-Team has learned six families were able to close on their homes without a county-issued certificate of occupancy, which is required by law.
Pasadena Point, located between Wesley Chapel and Dade City, is the new home development where $300,000 to $400,000 homes are selling as quickly as crews can build them.
The homebuilder, Casa Fresca Homes, is a subsidiary of Homes by West Bay.
Casa Fresca targets first-time home buyers like Monica Coconuba Sanchez.
Monica is a Columbian immigrant who took on extra shifts as a surgical nurse to save for a home for her family, including her 3-year-old daughter Malia.
“It took me a long time, a lot of sacrifice because we had to come up with a lot of money… over $50,000,” she said.
Eva Conti and her husband saved for a decade, changed jobs and moved from New York for an easier path to home ownership.
“To buy a home nowadays is extremely difficult,” Conti said. “We were very excited to buy the home, and now it’s a big mess.”
Homeowners given certificates Pasco County says weren’t genuine
That mess started in February when it came time for six buyers to close on their new homes.
At closing, they received certificates of occupancy that they thought were real because they had the Pasco County logo and even the signature of the Pasco County building official.
But according to the county, the Pasco County Building Department didn’t issue certificates of occupancy at that time.
A county spokesperson said in a statement emailed to the I-Team, “The documents involved in this case were created outside the scope of our organization and have been turned over to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office for further investigation.”
Attorney Andy Lyons represents three of the six affected families.
“If I were the county, I would be livid. I would be furious,” Lyons said.
His clients gave him copies of the certificates they received at closing before multiple final inspections had been performed on their homes.
Lyons said it could have been a problem had a fire broken out at one of the affected homes.
“There could be an insurance problem because the insurance was bound based upon there being a certificate of occupancy, but there wasn’t,” Lyons said.
The inspections were not completed on the homes, but they received a document that looked like a county-issued C.O.
“That, to me, it’s a big deal for the safety of my family. I am very disturbed that somebody closed on a house with fraudulent paperwork,” Monica said.
Homes sold in early February, but inspections not completed until late March
Records show Monica closed on her home on February 8, but final inspections were not performed until March 8.
Two families moved into their houses in early February but didn’t receive certificates of occupancy until March 28.
Monica said she had no idea that multiple inspections had not been completed when she moved into her home.
“Never had an idea about that. I would have never known,” she said.
Casa Fresca Homes President Mark Matheny said his company discovered the problem and immediately reached out to the county.
“Very much an isolated incident. Unfortunate. Regrettable. And we certainly apologize for it,” Matheny said.
“We want to make sure we learn from it”
He blames a former employee for providing a document that wasn’t genuine.
Matheny said he doesn’t know that employee’s incentive.
“That’s one we haven’t been able to figure out,” he said.
Matheny said the employee’s compensation was based in part on completing homes on time and admits no one else from his company checked with the county to make sure all the inspections were done.
We requested an interview with Pasco County’s Building Official Esther Oluyemi, whose name was on the document, but she declined through a spokesperson who said the county can’t comment because the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has opened a criminal investigation.
Pasco County building inspectors completed final inspections on all six homes by late March.
“We want to make sure we learn from it and it doesn’t occur again,” Matheny said.
Matheny said his company now gets certificates of occupancy directly from the county and doesn’t allow employees to provide them to him.
“If I ever buy another house, I’m going to go check directly with the county. I’m not going to trust the builder anymore because your trust is gone,” Monica said.
That former employee has not been charged with a crime.
We contacted him, but he has not responded.
How to check your own inspections and certificate of occupancy
If you want to check inspections and the certificate of occupancy on your new home, you can go to the appropriate county’s website to obtain that information.
Pasco County’s building and inspection website can be accessed here.
Hillsborough County’s building and inspection website can be accessed here.
Pinellas County’s building and inspection website can be accessed here.
Polk County’s building and inspection website can be accessed here.
If you have a story you'd like the I-Team to investigate, email us at adam@abcactionnews.com.
