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Paradise lost? Construction defects lawsuit targets Faith Group, contractors
HOA and owners at Paradise Gardens allege developer and five companies are responsible for major structural issues with their Naranja townhomes
Life at Paradise Gardens townhouse community in southwest Miami-Dade County hasn’t been an idyllic experience for its homeowners, according to a recently filed lawsuit.
The Paradise Gardens Naranja Homeowners Association and 45 townhouse owners sued Aventura-based The Faith Group, Coral Gables-based Brickless Construction Corp. and an affiliate, Miami-based Bellon Architecture and Doral-based Jaxi Builder this week. The 143-unit townhome community is at Southwest 259th Street between Southwest 139th Path and 139th Court in Naranja, an unincorporated neighborhood near Homestead.
Filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, the complaint alleges a litany of construction defects in the community that are causing townhomes to be prone to flooding and to sustain significant water damage from heavy rainfalls. In some instances, homeowners have allegedly experienced water leaking out of electrical sockets, the lawsuit states.
The association and the homeowners are represented by Morgan & Morgan, the Orlando-based personal injury law firm founded by prominent Democratic party donor John Morgan.
“Many residents have been forced to either live in these horrible conditions, leave to take up residence with family and friends, or spend additional money on temporary housing,” Morgan said in a statement.
Many residents have alleged that they or their families have become sick due to mold exposure and other hazards, Morgan added.
Kevin Faith, The Faith Group’s president, and the owners of the four other companies did not respond to messages seeking comment. The Faith Group recently partnered with New York-based Kushner Companies and Aventura-based Immocorp Capital to propose a mixed-use project with 325 apartments and up to 25,000 square feet of retail space in Wynwood.
Completed in 2021 and designed by Bellon, Paradise Gardens consists of two-story townhomes with four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, records show. Prices ranged between $200,000 and $250,000 during construction, according to published reports.
The Faith Group hired Brickless as Paradise Gardens’ general contractor in 2017, and subsequently entered a deal with its affiliate, I9 Tecc Developers Group Corp, to co-develop the townhome project, the lawsuit states.
The developer and the other defendants failed to properly waterproof balconies, terrace decks and roofs, which is causing water intrusion in the townhomes, the lawsuit alleges. Other alleged defects include drywall damage, damaged window sills and baseboards, improperly installed sliding glass doors and window leaks.