Punta Gorda homeowners blame nearby demolition for damage
A demolition project is apparently demolishing more than it should.
Some homeowners in historic homes in Punta Gorda are seeing cracks in the tile, on the walls, and between the wall and ceiling, and they tell WINK News they know exactly who's to blame.
The scariest part of Garrett Kizer's home isn't the Halloween decor.
"Put cups of water here, and the water was just shaking, vibrating like crazy," said Kizer.
It also isn't the noise or shaking since demolition started on the hotel across the street. It's what Kizer and four other neighbors say the vibration is doing to their homes.
"We just finished this early this year. None of these cracks running up this wall or there. There's cracks up in the corner there, cracks up in the corner all the way to the top there," said Kizer.
Cracks on the tile in bathrooms, on the wall in bedrooms and up to the ceiling.
It's inside and outside.
"We've got cracks that start about chest level, go up, and actually go in, pulling the stucco and the block," said Kizer.
Kizer reached out to the demolition company Pece of Mind Environmental, Inc.
"Which we've had none of so that that's kind of comical," said Kizer.
Pece of Mind told Kizer it was scientifically impossible they caused this damage.
The owner, Steve Pece, told WINK News on the phone that they stopped work and did a test measuring vibration or peak p velocity.
"So in the threshold for FDOT , as well as the U.S. bureau, mine's is .5 PPV [Peak P Velocity], so we're less than half of the vibration," said Pece. "We've been told by our engineers that it's, it's impossible for the machines at our job site to cause that damage."
Kizer has two major points he says prove his statement.
"The damage primarily is in the two points that are closest to this site, and the damage was not there prior to this," said Kizer.
Eleven years ago, Kizer redid the home with his company, Charlotte Harbor Construction.
"I literally sit on this front porch eating ham sandwiches. Like, 'Wow. How cool would it be to have a house like this one day?'" said Kizer.
Now he's got the dream home with cracks and wants things made right.
