Family sickened by black mold, forced to move from rental

DAVENPORT, Fla. (FOX 13) - Joseline Sanchez broke down when she talked about where she, her husband, and their four kids have been living at the Island Club Resort, just off US 27 in Davenport, Florida.

“No one should be here,” she told FOX 13 as she teared up. “No one should be living in any of these properties. Period.”

The Sanchez family began moving out immediately after they were told the unit that they rent is plagued with black mold.

“My kids are sick all the time,” she said.

Sanchez said she is experiencing upper respiratory problems, difficulty breathing, and wheezing.

“I can feel the pain in my right lung when I move my arm,” she said.

There is moisture throughout Sanchez’s unit. The plaster on parts of the ceiling is soggy and falling down. Black mold is growing on the baseboards and elsewhere.

Other residents said they have experienced the same thing.

Nancy Foryan, the president of the HOA says the black mold problem is pervasive at the complex.

“Almost half the units have had black mold because of faulty construction,” Foryan said.

She says a lawsuit has been filed against the developer, David Meadows. FOX 13 News was not able to reach him for comment.

In the meantime, the Sanchezes are moving into a nearby hotel, for now.

They are not sure where they are going to move for the long haul but know it is not going to be back to their old place.