New homeowners in Hendry County say they were misled about community amenities

HENDRY COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—Homeowners in a brand-new community say they're fed up with amenities promised years ago still haven't materialized. 

Residents of Liberty Shores came to WINK Listens in Labelle for help after they couldn’t get answers from their builder.  

Brand new homes with waterfront views right along the Caloosahatchee drew first-time homebuyers Brad MacDonald and JaQuy Brantley to put down roots in Liberty Shores.

MacDonald said the community amenities were a major factor in their decision to build.

"A lot of the reasons why we moved in were their selling points," MacDonald said.

Two years later, they say some of those selling points still don't exist. Brantley said they were promised specific features from the developer, LGI Homes. 

"The hook, where they got us, was that they said that they were going to have a park and a boat ramp," Brantley said.

Today, there's no boat ramp and no playground. Residents are left wondering where their $150-a-month HOA fees are going.

The HOA is currently run by LGI Homes. TheFlorida HOA Act requires the developer to operate the association in new communities as construction continues. The statute says developers keep control of an HOA until 90% of homes are sold. It’s thenturned over to the residents. 

Mark Wagner, an attorney with The Law Office of Jursinski & Murphy, said the law is intended to ensure the neighborhood and its amenities are maintained.

“If nobody was maintaining them, then there would be a significant expense that would be passed on to the residents when turnover occurs.”

Brantley questioned whether the amenities were ever truly planned.

"I don't even know if they really had it in the works to do it," Brantley said. "It's kind of like we got schemed."

Pictures from homeowners show stakes once in the ground with the words "boat ramp" written on them. Those markers are now gone.

WINK News discovered a 2025 TRIM notice on the Hendry County Property Appraiser's website. The document shows a piece of land labeled as "TRACT F - BOAT RAMP."

But a closer look at the community's HOA documents shows that the amenities shown in plans or marketing materials are not guaranteed and may be changed or removed by the developer. 

Wagner said that amenities not being developed or maintained are not uncommon, especially while builders still control the HOA.

"Let's say the development process is taking a matter of years, and perhaps the developer doesn't want to spend money to maintain some of these things, and they think that they can just, I guess, transfer that obligation onto the residents when they meet that turnover," Wagner said.

Homeowners say they've had other issues, too.

"We have had contractors in our house, from move-in day, from roofing, plumbing, septic, flooring, mold, drywall," MacDonald said. "One of the toilets in our master bathroom in our master bedroom has been redone three times because the toilet wasn't set properly."

WINK News contacted LGI Homes multiple times for comment. After three phone calls and four emails went unanswered, WINK News went to their sales office. An LGI employee said she couldn't answer questions but would pass along information to the construction manager. WINK News never heard back.

Homeowners say they just want answers and what they thought they were promised. Brantley, a disabled veteran, said the experience has been particularly disappointing.

"So the VA literally helped purchase my home for me, being a disabled veteran, and I've had nothing but bad experiences," Brantley said.

Now, Liberty Shores residents have started a petition to take control of their HOA sooner.

Provided below is the Liberty Shores Term Notice.

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