The condos went up over night across the First Coast, but now many folks are finding problems -- some of them so dangerous, one couple was actually forced out of their home.

It should be the best time in a young couple's life together, having their first baby on the way and living life in their dream home.

But just beneath the surface, Anthony Kam and Sherri Cieciwa’s dream was falling apart.

"This has been the most traumatizing time of my life. I'm supposed to be enjoying pregnancy, planning for my child," says Cieciwa.

The problem started with something so small, a small black spot on the outside of one of their walls. But what looked like nothing ended up being something very serious.

Inside the dry wall, the entire inside of their wall was covered in mold. Not just any mold -- toxic mold. Mold so dangerous, the two say the condo developer told them to get out and stay out until a mold remediation team, dressed in air tight suits, came in and cleaned until they finally deemed the condo clean.

So the couple found themselves in a hotel for two months. And even with both of them working two jobs, they quickly burned through their savings.

“Right now, most of our bills are past due. [We] can't afford to pay them. We're out about eight thousand dollars."
And, they’re left with no cash, no medical insurance, and a baby coming any day.

"This was money we put away for the delivery of our child,” says Cieciwa. “Now I don't know where I'm going to have her. Maybe in the grass somewhere. I'm really not sure."

So what does the developer have to say about all this? The company's attorney sent the couple a letter asking them to stop talking about the mold. We wanted to know why, but the company's attorney would only tell us over the phone that they had reimbursed them for more than they had to under the law.

Now Tony and Sherri fear the real cost of all this is yet to come because they'll have to tell any potential future buyers of the condo about the moldy mess, something that you don't usually have the benefit of when you buy a home or condo new.

If there's a lesson here, it's that any buyer in Florida should get a mold inspection before they sign on the dotted line, even if it's a brand new home.

Remember mold isn't a problem with a particular development, it's a problem in Florida in general. So whether you're moving to a house or condo, new or old, it's up to you to protect yourself.

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