By the FL Innovation News editorial team · Community
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 an 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 has become the center of a worsening health, structural, and financial crisis. Despite repeated reports of hazardous living conditions, Neal Communities has failed to accept responsibility or take meaningful action.
The family moved into their home in October 2022, expecting safety, comfort, and long-term stability. Instead, they encountered buckling floors, foundation cracks, moisture intrusion, and signs of mold within months. Their concerns were especially urgent given their son’s diagnosis of premature ventricular contraction (PVC), and the trauma of previously losing Colleen’s baby brother to heart failure.
In January 2025, Neal Communities replaced the home’s buckling flooring. However, when the original floors were pulled up, contractors discovered soaked subflooring, visible mold on baseboards, and moisture along the foundation. Neal Communities proceeded to install new flooring the following day without pausing for proper remediation, a decision the family says masked deeper issues rather than resolving them.
“We trusted Neil 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 were provided by Neal Communities’ vendor, AQM, with at least one sample never submitted to the lab
- Refusal by Neal Communities’ legal team to acknowledge mold severity, leaving the family paying both a mortgage and rent after being forced to leave the home
- No responsibility taken for visible and expanding structural failures
Adding to concerns, engineering documents required by the City of Manatee County showed that soil compaction was to be verified at 95 percent density before construction. However, internal documentation from Neal Communities VP, Ryan Johnson, showed only medium soil density, raising questions about whether the home was built to the required code. When the family asked for clarification, Neal Communities’ leadership dismissed the discrepancy without explanation.
A third-party licensed structural engineer, DMD & Company, hired by the family, identified multiple structural concerns. Yet Pat Neal, founder of Neal Communities, admitted during a call that he had not reviewed the report. Neal Communities later commissioned Karins Engineering, the same firm listed on the original site plans, to perform an evaluation, but the company has refused to share its full findings with the homeowners.
In a final act of desperation, the family opened limited sections of drywall to identify the cause of continued damage. Neal Communities is now attempting to shift blame onto the family for these actions instead of addressing the root cause of the deterioration.
“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’s endangered our health and drained us financially.”
The family is calling for the following:
- Immediate buyback of the home by Neal Communities
- A formal public apology from Pat Neil
- Accountability from the City of Manatee County for permitting the build without verifying soil compaction
- Transparency and responsibility from AQM for incomplete and unsubmitted mold samples
“This is no longer just about us,” the family said. “We’re worried about every neighbor on this street. If this could happen to us, how many other homes hide dangerous conditions behind their walls?”
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 inaction, they say they can no longer remain silent. They are now demanding transparency, accountability, and restitution.
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