After months of pleading for help, a Florida family is demanding a full buyback and public apology from Neal Communities. They cite toxic mold, ignored engineering warnings, and a construction process that bypassed critical safety standards.
Colleen Hockenberry, a wife, entrepreneur, and mother of three, including a young son born with a serious heart condition, is speaking out after her newly built home in the Silverleaf development by Neal Communities became the center of a worsening health, structural, and financial crisis. Despite repeated reports of hazardous living conditions, Neal Communities failed for over a year to accept full responsibility or take meaningful action.
The family moved into their home in October 2022, hoping for safety, comfort, and long-term stability. Instead, they were met with buckling floors, foundation cracks, moisture intrusion, and signs of mold within months. Their concerns were heightened by their son’s heart condition, premature ventricular contraction (PVC), and the painful memory of Colleen’s baby brother, who tragically passed away from heart failure.
In January 2025, Neal Communities replaced the visibly buckling floors. But when contractors removed the original flooring, they uncovered soaked subflooring, visible mold on the baseboards, and moisture along the foundation. Rather than pausing for proper remediation, Neal Communities installed new flooring the very next day — what the family describes as a cover-up, not a cure.
“We trusted Neal Homes with the biggest investment of our lives,” said Mrs. Hockenberry. “What we received was not just a defective home, but an ongoing risk to our family’s health and safety.”
Since then, the family has documented:
- Continued mold regrowth and worsening health symptoms across all five family members
- Two incomplete mold reports from Neal Communities’ vendor, AQM — including at least one lab sample that has been confirmed was never turned into Dean Lab.
- The family has also hired a third party foundation company that has visited the home twice to test the house for movement and settlement. The reports show the house has continued to settle from the previous visit.. The foundation company has told the homeowners that with the ground as saturated as it is, the soil cant support the wait of the home.
- The Hockenberrys have continued to document worsening cracks in the slab and walls.
Engineering plans filed with Manatee County required soil compaction at 95% density before construction. However, the soil reported that was provided to the family from a Neal Communities executive referenced only medium-density soils in the report. The family still has not been provided with any documentation that states the soil was 95% density prior to construction.
A third-party structural engineering firm hired by the family, DMD & Company, flagged multiple structural issues. Neal Communities then commissioned Karins Engineering — the firm originally listed on site plans. After a month of waiting, Neal Communities eventually provided the Karins Engineering report to the homeowners. However, when the Hockenberry family reviewed the report, they discovered that the individual who authored it was not the same engineer who had visited their home. The report also claimed that one side of the house could not be inspected due to inclement weather the previous day. The Hockenberry’s dispute this, stating it did not rain the day before the inspection. . Additionally, the family notes that two engineers were present during the inspection, and that the side of the house in question was in fact inspected during their visit.
Out of frustration, the family opened sections of drywall themselves to trace the source of moisture and mold. Neal Communities has since attempted to shift blame onto the family for this action, without addressing the underlying issues
Following over a year of inaction, Neal Communities recently issued a limited settlement offer to the family. The offer includes:
- Retiling the master shower with the owner’s choice of tile
- Completing mold cleaning protocol in the master shower only
- Repairing slab cracks and replacing the flooring — but only with comparable material selected by the owner
The Hockenberry’s believe this offer ignores the root causes, fails to account for widespread mold, and drastically underestimates the financial and health toll of their ordeal.
“We were promised a structurally sound home backed by a 10-year structural warranty,” said Mr. Jordan Hockenberry. “What we received was a mold-infested structure that endangered our health and drained us financially.”
- The family is continuing to call for:
- Immediate buyback of the home by Neal Communities
- A formal public apology from Pat Neal
- Accountability from the City of Manatee County regarding soil verification and permitting procedures.
- Transparency from AQM for incomplete mold testing
“This is no longer just about us,” the family said. “It’s about every neighbor who may be living in similar conditions and doesnt even know it yet.”
After black mold was confirmed inside the home, the family made the heartbreaking decision to abandon the property and move out to protect their health. After more than a year of documented communication, and no resolution, they say they can no longer remain silent. They are now demanding full transparency, accountability, and justice.
“We’re not walking away quietly,” said Colleen Hockenberry. “We’re standing up for what’s right — for our kids, our community, and every family who deserves a safe place to live.”
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