Tonight, some good news for a woman who contacted 7 Investigates about a state program that was supposed to help her rebuild after Hurricane Irma. After our story aired state workers finally took care of her problem. 7’s Courtney Allen has the update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runae Sneed can’t seem to keep the smile off her face these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runae Sneed, homeowner: “Yes, it is a huge change.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She recently moved into a brand-new home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runae Sneed: “Here’s my kitchen area.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it took nearly eight years to get here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runae Sneed: “A loooong time, it took a long time.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When we met Runae in 2023,<\/a> she was stressed, and her home was a nightmare. The ceilings were collapsing and the walls were infested with mold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae Sneed: “It’s kind of scary. I just, I don’t know which direction to turn in.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her home was damaged during Hurricane Irma back in 2017. She couldn’t afford repairs, so she signed up for a program called Rebuild Florida. It was funded in 2018 with $615 million from the federal government. The money was supposed to be used to fix properties damaged by Irma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae was approved for assistance. But she says help never arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae Sneed: “I called just about every day or every other day. I called Rebuild Florida, I called the contractor, back and forth, back and forth, to no avail.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The plan was to tear down Runae’s home and build a new one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Construction permits were filed in 2020. None of the work was ever completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae says all she got was the runaround.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae Sneed: “And they were telling me then that the city was the hold-up, then the city’s telling me that it’s the contractors.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n After our story aired, Runae finally heard back from Rebuild Florida, and the work began. Runae moved into her new home a few months ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae Sneed: “It was really amazing to see, from what it looked like before to now. Beautiful. This is where i come in and just relax and unwind.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae is not alone in her wait for help from Rebuild Florida. The Florida Department of Commerce operates the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It tells 7 Investigates that the “Rebuild Florida Hurricane Irma program has completed 3,897 homes. There are 26 homes to be completed. Florida Commerce’s goal is to complete the remaining homes as soon as possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae has some words of advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Runae Sneed: “Fight. You gotta fight. You got to keep on top of things, and don’t give up. That’s the biggest thing I can tell you, is to don’t give up.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n After years of waiting, Runae’s nightmare is finally over, and has been replaced with a dream home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Courtney Allen, 7News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:<\/strong>
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
7Investigates@wsvn.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"