Frustrated homeowner starts business lifting flood-damaged Naples homes

EAST NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — An East Naples woman is taking matters into her own hands to elevate her home after it flooded during Hurricane Ian three and a half years ago.

Valeri Acierno calls her East Naples home "the guinea pig." She's hoping to become the blueprint for lifting homes in her neighborhood.

"We are going to lift it up because it just keeps flooding," Acierno said. "We purchased the unified Jack from Buckingham ourselves because we just couldn't seem to get it lifted."

After contractors and programs like Elevate Florida didn't work out, she took matters into her own hands for herself and her neighborhood. Acierno said other residents have faced similar challenges.

"They've all been kicked out of Elevate Florida," Acierno said. "Everybody's having a hard time, and we decided we would try to fill the need."

Acierno and her team did the training, bought the multi-thousand-dollar lift machine, and started their company, Home Lifters of Southwest Florida. Yellow jacks will raise the home inch by inch, with the goal of reaching 4 feet in the first two days.

That height is about how much water her home took during Hurricane Ian, when storm surge flooded the Brookside neighborhood. Acierno and her dogs barely escaped.

"There's definitely a little bit of PTSD," Acierno said. "We left my house on a paddleboard."

Neighbor Benny Krick experienced similar flooding during the storm. He said water reached up to his doorknob.

"I don't know if I'm going to elevate or not," Krick said. "I'm going to see how this goes."

Krick said he's waiting to see the final product and price tag. He wants to know the total cost before making a decision.

"Once you lift the house up, what does that cost?" Krick said. "I don't even know that yet."

Acierno remains committed to the project despite the uncertainty.

"I'm willing to be the experiment so that we know what we're doing going forward," Acierno said.

Acierno's goal is to raise her home 10 feet. She plans to start lifting on Monday, hoping the experiment will keep her home dry during future storms.