Page 8 - Florida Sentinel 5-20-22

Feature
Volunteers Needed To Help Clean Debris From Incomplete Home
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Mrs. Cheylene Levy is gathering a group of volun- teers to clear debris, mow the lawn and remove floor- ing from the home of Mrs. Mary Browning.
Volunteers are asked to meet at the home, located at 3605 E. Caracas St., on Sat- urday, May 21, 2022, at 8 a. m. Mrs. Levy said the work should be done by 12 noon. She has been working with Mrs. Browning in an effort to get in her home. She said volunteers will remove con- struction debris left on site, mow the grass, and remove flooring. Anyone wishing to assist can call Mrs. Brown- ing at (813) 503-3951.
Mrs. Browning has been waiting for 3 years to
move into her brand new home. Some problems devel- oped with she and the con- tracting company she hired – Hopps Construction Serv- ice. A local television station heard of the prob- lems Mrs. Browning was having and after an investi- gation aired the results of the investigation that showed several incompletions in the home that had not been properly approved by City officials.
A few days after the story aired, two spaces in the home were set ablaze, caus- ing minor damage. Tampa Fire Dept. is investigating, Mrs. Browning said. It was not determined that the fire was intentionally set.
In an article published by the Sentinel a few weeks ago, Mrs. Vicki Hopps, said
construction on the home
stopped when the money ran out. According to her, Mrs. Browning added on a room that called for additional monies which Mrs. Brown- ing felt that she didn’t owe. She had given Mrs. Hopps $169,000 to build the house. Mrs. Hopps, who has been in the construction business
for several years, said this is the first time a complaint has been filed against her.
Mrs. Browning is in the process of finding an- other engineer who can help her get the house completed. Mrs. Hopps says another $37,000 is needed to com- plete the house.
Construction Debris on site
PAGE 8-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022