Ridge Manor teachers get new roof after contractor vanished with funds

David and Tonita’s Ridge Manor home had been stuck in the worst kind of limbo: paid for, damaged and still not fixed. A contractor vanished with insurance funds, leaving the teachers displaced long after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton pushed recovery deep into a second year.

Now the couple has a new roof, installed with help from All Hands & Hearts and partners, a turning point for a household that became a small example of a much larger problem in Hernando County and across the Tampa Bay area. In Ridge Manor, recovery has moved far more slowly than the storms that caused the damage, especially after Milton sent floodwaters through the Withlacoochee River corridor and inundated neighborhoods that had not seen crests that high since the 1930s, according to Dr. Mark Fulkerson of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

The flooding in Ridge Manor was so severe that weeks later, residents were still describing streets under water and homes ringed by floodwater. WFLA reported on Nov. 12, 2024, that one Hernando County neighborhood was still struggling to recover, and on Dec. 4, 2024, that Ridge Manor residents were still dealing with water around homes and across streets eight weeks after Milton. WUSF also reported in November 2024 that the Tampa Bay area was still coping with the effects of Debby, Helene and Milton at the same time, a sign of how one storm season can stack damage on top of the last.

All Hands & Hearts said its Florida Hurricanes Helene and Milton Relief program began in September 2024 and focused on Pasco County recovery after deploying in the early aftermath of Helene. The group said its work centered on cleanup, rebuilding and community-led disaster relief as part of a year-long plan in the wake of the storms. The organization’s role in Ridge Manor shows why recovery is not just about tarps and debris pickup. It is also about finishing the job when insurance money has already been spent but repairs never happen.

The broader warning for Hernando County has been clear. WUSF reported on Oct. 21, 2024, that county officials warned residents about scammers posing as FEMA officials during Milton recovery, while other local coverage documented how contractors can take money and leave homes unfinished. In a place still recovering from repeated flooding, that kind of fraud does more than drain bank accounts. It keeps families out of their homes and turns a storm cleanup into a long-term displacement problem.