PALMETTO, Fla. (WWSB) – Rebuilding Together Greater Florida (RTGFL) has successfully completed its first mobile home repair project in the Shadow Brook mobile home community, marking a major expansion of its 25-year mission to provide essential home repairs, disaster readiness, and affordable housing.
The project included upgrades to a severely damaged roof and replacing a completely destroyed carport.
RTGFL’s expansion in June of this year was designed specifically to help more mobile families recover after devastating storm damage, to help with things like costly repairs. For this inaugural project, RTGFL’s Sarasota team joined Palmetto homeowner Peter Previte to celebrate and highlight the finished upgrades to his home.
The completed project comes just ahead of peak hurricane season, providing vital protection.
The Shadow Brook community suffered devastating damage to a large percentage of its mobile homes during past storms, including the 2024 hurricane season, leaving many residents unable to afford or coordinate the necessary repairs.
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“It’s expensive, and to have these people doing it is truly a miracle,” said Previte, who called the assistance a lifeline. “The process was just as good or better than ever could be expected. These folks are all genuine nice individuals and they treat you with respect.”
“I can hardly hear the rain anymore, so the roof is so good,” Previte added. “It’s an amazing feeling. We know that the storms are coming. I just feel so much safer now that [it is] up to the new standards and codes of this build.”
RTGFL Construction Manager DJ June emphasized that these structural improvements are difficult for many residents to manage on their own, but are crucial for weathering future storms.
“It’ll also help with things other than storm damage—things like health, safety, mobility,” June said. “For those homeowners who maybe can’t afford to do some of those things to their home that are needed, please call us. We can hopefully help with that too.”
Mobile home construction requires a specialized approach, which RTGFL dedicated time to master in order to successfully scale their services.
“There are so many mobile homes that need help,” said Jose Garcia, CEO of Rebuilding Together Greater Florida. “The problem is that mobile homes require a different kind of approach when it comes to construction. We took the time to learn it, to understand who are the potential contractors out there that can do the work, making sure suppliers are available.”
With Previte’s home serving as a successful proof of concept, RTGFL is actively working to expand these services to more mobile homeowners across the region.
“There is a hope,” Garcia said. “We’re going to make sure you stay in your home because that’s what you need… and this is the sample that this can happen.”
Reflecting on the experience, Previte expressed deep gratitude for the organization’s support. “I can’t thank these great people enough for what they’re doing—how they treated me, how they’ve communicated with me,” he said. “It was just an amazing process, and to be the first, it is truly amazing.”
What’s Next? Between now and December, RTGFL has 9 confirmed mobile home repair projects planned across its Florida districts:
· 3 homes — Sarasota/Manatee area
· 1 home — Kissimmee/Osceola County area
· 5 homes — Pasco County/Tampa Bay area, primarily in Zephyrhills and Hudson
RTGFL wants mobile homeowners throughout its service areas to know that they are here to help. As this work continues to grow, the organization is actively looking to connect with homeowners who may be in need of critical home repairs and help them determine what resources may be available.
For Homeowners Seeking Assistance visit their website. For Sarasota and Manatee County specifically, call Rebecca and Stephany at 813-614-2962.
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