ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Homeowners in a St. Johns County said they moved into a neighborhood unaware a major highway construction would take place virtually in their backyards.
This segment of the First Coast Expressway is a new four-lane, limited-access toll road now under construction. This section runs from east of County Road 16A to east of County Road 2209 in St. Johns County.
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But homeowners in the Shearwater neighborhood say they’ve been dealing with major problems since construction began.
Loud noise in their backyards. House rattling and unfamiliar cracks in their homes that they say were caused by all the construction.
“The house is shaking; the windows are made poorly. They put in cheap windows, so you hear every little thing,” homeowner Michael Arena said.
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“I started checking around the house and noticed in the garage that I had a crack that led up to the foundation,” homeowner Anthony Ortiz said.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, this $242.6 million project started in November and has been in the works since 2014.
Homeowners said their houses were built in late 2023.
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Neighbors told me the company that built these homes, Ryan Homes, didn’t inform the buyers about the FDOT construction.
“It’s been a lot for us because they never told us about this. The real estate agent never told us there was going to be a highway back there,” Arena said.
“I asked explicitly to my salesperson, and I said, ‘What’s going on beyond this road? What’s going on behind my house?’ Nothing,” homeowner Lindsay Sutliff said.
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An FDOT representative assured that a project team is investigating the homeowner’s concerns.
We also reached out to FDOT. Officials say pile drilling will continue for a couple more weeks, between 7 AM and 7 PM.
Now, homeowners are concerned about the value of their properties.
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“That’s what we’re worried about. We don’t know what’s going to happen with that once this highway goes in,” Arena said.
We also reached out to the company, Ryan Homes, about the homeowners’ concerns, but no one returned our calls before the story aired.
A FDOT communication specialist offered advice for homebuyers to ask about any future development plans in the area, which may positively or negatively impact their quality of life.
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