Congresswoman demands action at storm-damaged MacDill

Congresswoman Kathy Castor is demanding answers from a national property management company following several reports of substandard living conditions at MacDill Air Force Base in the aftermath of recent hurricanes.

Castor sent a sternly worded letter Wednesday to Sherri Farris, vice president of military operations at The Michaels Organization. The New Jersey-based multifamily housing owner, operator and developer manages the Harbor Bay at MacDill community.

Castor, whose House of Representatives district encompasses Tampa and St. Petersburg, noted the sprawling base is home to U.S. Central Command, U.S. Special Operations Command the 6^th Air Refueling wing. She said Michaels has failed to repair storm-damage homes three months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton “inflicted significant damage” on the critical facility.

“I understand that numerous requests have been relayed to Michaels from the base commander and others regarding the deteriorated living conditions and quality of life of our military families at MacDill,” Castor wrote. “Yet Michaels continues to fail to meet its responsibilities to provide safe and healthy housing in good repair.”

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said many homes remain in disrepair after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Photo: Air Force amn/nco/snco, Facebook.

Approximately 1,200 service members and 1,500 dependents live at MacDill, which offers privatized housing. Most live in Harbor Bay, which includes 527 homes.

Castor called it “incredibly disheartening” to hear long-standing issues have persisted and worsened at the waterfront community. Several residents sued the company in 2019 due to poor housing quality and maintenance work.

The congresswoman subsequently championed a Military Tenant Bill of Rights as part of sweeping privatized military housing reform efforts. Federal lawmakers included Castor’s initiative in the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act.

“It has been reported to me that your staff is significantly delayed in its response time to individual tenant requests, whether it be for a simple bathroom repair or a more serious report of mold in a home,” Castor wrote. “More specifically, as it relates to the recent hurricanes, I was told your staff has failed to communicate with displaced tenants on the status of home repairs.”

Michaels and Harbor Bay representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.

Monthly rents at Harbor Bay range from roughly $2,400 to $3,300, depending on a service member’s pay grade and whether they have dependents. Castor noted Michaels failed to address an “overwhelming number” of questions and concerns at a town hall meeting in November.

In a prepared statement, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Larry Martin, president of the Tampa Bay Defense Alliance and former wing commander at MacDill, noted the importance of providing service members with clean, safe and quality housing.

“They need to focus on mission readiness and do not need the added stress of being concerned about the wellbeing of their families or safety of their homes,” Martin said. “Our military families deserve transparent and responsive action – not only to repair and resolve the recent hurricane damage but to improve other long-standing maintenance and customer service issues.”

An aerial view of the 527-home community. Photo: Harbor Bay at MacDill.

Castor, referring to the Military Tenant Bill of Rights, wants to know what Harbor Bay and Michaels are doing to repair homes, how staff communicates those efforts to residents, the average time to fulfill a request for repairs and what issues impede issue resolution.

Castor would also like a summary of storm damage, the number of people displaced and the firm’s approach to rebuild and restore Harbor Bay homes following natural disasters. She asked if Michaels plans to implement climate resilient measures throughout that process.

“Plain and simple, military families deserve high-quality housing, and reports of substandard conditions of on-base Harbor Bay housing are unacceptable,” Castor concluded. “I trust that you agree that families who serve America and have already sacrificed so much to protect their fellow Americans deserve better.”