A husband and wife are struggling to rebuild nearly two years after lightning destroyed their home in The Villages.
The home of Charles and Linda Formica at 2269 Foggy Brook Loop in the Village of St. Charles was the subject of a deed compliance hearing Monday at the District Office at Brownwood.
A bolt of lightning ignited a fire in the home’s attic in July 2024.
The couple paid $775,000 for the house, just a few short months before the fire. When the insurance company finally agreed to cut a check, it was $234,000 short of the builder’s quote to reconstruct a new home on the fire-ravaged site. They have been going back and forth with builders and Charles Formica told a special magistrate that they are close to signing a contract.
The home is still standing and demolition has yet to begin.
The home is located in Community Development District 8 and a supervisor came to the couple’s defense.
“They are having an awful time. This was an act of God. None of it was their fault,” said Supervisor Wayne Anderson.
A Community Standards representative said the Formicas have been cooperative throughout the process.
The hearing officer, retired Lake County Judge Terry Neal, ordered the couple to report back in four months.
“I want to see some kind of progress,” she warned the couple.