KISSIMMEE, Fla. – A Kissimmee woman is suing a contractor working on a major Florida’s Turnpike widening project, alleging months of dust, soot, diesel residue, noise and bright lights made her mobile home unlivable.
Darci Combs spent Thursday packing her belongings into a U-Haul after she said Ponderosa Mobile Home Park gave her three days to leave. Combs owns the home but leases the lot beneath it. She said she has withheld rent since May because of the conditions inside the home.
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“Why will they not come out here and see my home and see we can’t live like this?” Combs said. “Why does JR. Davis get to do this, and the state of Florida is backing him and paying him to do it? That’s my question.”
Combs lives just feet from work connected to the widening of Florida’s Turnpike between Partin Settlement Road and Osceola Parkway. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise says the $321 million project will expand the highway from two to four lanes in each direction and is expected to continue through 2031.
Combs showed News 6 cellphone videos she recorded of dump trucks, heavy equipment, backup alarms, dust and nighttime work near her backyard.
“At three o’clock, I had a spotlight on my home,” she said. “I had trucks right here and a cloud of dust. I had to take a leave of absence from work because you can’t function with no sleep.”
Inside the home, Combs showed News 6 dark residue on windows, ceiling fans and an air-conditioning unit she said she has to clean repeatedly.
“I eat at work or I eat in my car,” Combs said. “I can’t live at home. I don’t live here. I come in, I sleep, I dust the bed off, and I wash my blankets every few days.”
The lawsuit, filed July 22 in Osceola County Circuit Court, names JR. Davis Construction Company as the defendant. It seeks more than $50,000 in damages and includes claims of negligence, intentional tort and injunctive relief.
The complaint alleges JR. Davis failed to erect proper barriers to prevent soot, dust and dirt from accumulating around and inside Combs’ home. It also alleges that after she complained, workers brought construction equipment closer to the home and worked during hours that made it difficult for her to sleep.
Photographs attached to the complaint show dark residue on portions of the home and other property, along with construction equipment beyond the backyard.
The lawsuit asks a judge to order JR. Davis to provide Combs with a temporary alternative place to live while the dispute is resolved. The complaint says she has been advised not to continue breathing the air around the home.
Combs’ attorney told News 6 that JR. Davis has been served with the lawsuit.
News 6 emailed JR. Davis Construction seeking a response to the allegations but had not heard back as of publication.
News 6 also contacted Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise to ask what protections were required between the construction site and neighboring homes, whether officials inspected the site and how the agency responded to Combs’ complaints. A response had not been received as of publication.
Combs said most of her belongings are going into a storage unit in St. Cloud. She expects to stay with friends but does not know where she will live permanently.
“I would rather sleep and breathe on someone else’s couch than lay in my own dirty bed,” she said.