Builders volunteer to help rebuild lives

Tom Potter, a partner with Potter Homes, was one of the first to get on Bonita Beach after the storm. His first mission was to help rescue people trapped on the barrier island.

“We have been out on the beach every day doing whatever we can,” Potter began. “I was down there Thursday morning at sunrise. That morning was tough. “It was pretty emotional. It was like driving on sand dunes. We were helping shuttle people off the island. People were not in danger. It was just people were trying to schlep it on foot, so we were just driving them out. I would drive up to the gate and drop people off and get more people.”

He also helped on Fort Myers Beach and that was even tougher since he could not drive down the road.

“We went to Walmart and bought bikes and we had to bike three miles to the very south end,” Potter said.

There he helped an elderly man walk a quarter mile to a shuttle that would get him off the island.

Potter has built 98 homes on Bonita Beach and Fort Myers Beach. The houses did what they were supposed to do. The back bottom breakaway walls blew out and the bottom level, that is all garage and storage, washed over with six to eight feet of water, but the homes are intact, he said.

“Now we are securing homes and getting plywood over the doors,” he described shortly after the storm. “We are starting the cleaning process and once cleanup is done we will start fixing the damage. It is soul crushing to see the stuff on Fort Myers Beach and even Hickory Island.”

Builder’s Care is working with local builders to provide emergency construction services at no cost to needy and deserving elderly and/or disabled homeowners impacted by Hurricane Ian. Their first mission was to keep out future rain.

“We are helping with roof damage,” said Crystal Stouten, executive director. “We have a bunch of tarps. We are doing debris removal, food and water delivery. Any service is always at no cost to the homeowners.  That is what we do and during the hurricane we are out there ready to help.”

They are also assisting with mitigation, window replacement, AC repair, plumbing repairs, electrical repairs, wheelchair ramp rebuilds and delivery of food, water and other essentials. They have established a Hurricane Ian Builders Care Relief Fund to support hurricane relief efforts for homeowners in need of critical home repairs.

“We have great local construction partners, however, there is need for more builders, volunteers and resources to meet the substantial need,” Stouten said. “Plus, they need help to spread the word to homeowners in need of support.”

Many builders are busy helping their employees.

“Some of our staff have been devastated so we are putting together a fund for our staff,” said Tyler Kitson, senior vice president of communities for Kitson & Partners, the developer of Babcock Ranch.

Kitson also has a  hurricane relief fund and is working with multiple agencies to ship pods full of donations and materials to Fort Myers Beach and other areas in need. Items donated by Kitson staff and residents of Babcock are being sent to community churches and other relief sites.

Pulte Homes is doing everything from supplying hot meals, to offering food and supplies to its employees. Pulte employees can get groceries, household items, gas, and generators and a central location set up by the company.

“After our employees are taken care of we expect to also be able to help the community and local shelters,” said Josh Graeve, Southwest Florida division president. “We have collected such a large stock that we think we can donate a lot to the local shelters once our employees are fully recovered.”

Pulte is also providing hot meals three nights a week for all employees and their families.

“They can stay and eat or take it and leave, and they can stock up on supplies while they are there,” Graeve said.

Employee volunteers are also helping staff members that were affected by the storm with repairs.

“We are putting a team of volunteers together to go in and help remediate homes that have experienced damage and flooding. We just completed our first home that had severe flood damage and a team took all the drywall out and flooring out that was affected,” Graeve explained.

Nationwide the corporate office has a foundation offering financial relief for employees to help pay deductibles and other costs.

“It is very important to us to take care of our teammates,” Graeve said. “We truly view them as a family. It is remarkable how everyone has come together to help.”

Cameratta Companies is a smaller developer, but they too are trying to help. Funds raised at an upcoming pickleball tournament at Verdana Village will go to victims of Hurricane Ian.

“We are contributing blankets, towels clothes and donating to local shelters and churches,” said Nick Cameratta, president. “We are just doing what we can.”

Marvin Development got on the scene quickly to help.

“We got a bunch of tarps so they can get those roofs covered to get that first line of protection,” said Richard Durling, owner and president.

Bill Steiner, director of sales for Aubuchon Homes, said his company is trying to help the community with Internet. They set up a Starlink Receiver for Internet access for the public in Cape Coral.

“The public can use it to file claims,” Steiner explained.

Volunteers with Aubuchon went to the Yacht Club with a huge trailer filled with tarps, water, cleaning supplies and more.

“The homes we built are ok, but if we see there are people that need help, we help,” Steiner said. “Our crewmen are out on our roads helping.”

Curt Frost, CEO of WMG Development, that is building the new Publix on Corkscrew Road, sent a box truck of supplies from Orlando to Southwest Florida.

“This is a race against the mold,” Frost said.

So they sent lots of cleaning supplies and giant fans to town. They also sent mattresses, bedding, pillows and generators along with dog and cat food.

They stopped at worksites with water.

“Everyone is working their tails off so we just drove around dropping off drinks,” Frost described. “It’s going to be a long road. “We want to do all we can.”

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Builders volunteer to help rebuild lives