When Jackie and Anthonie Talarico moved their family into privatized housing at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, Jackie Talarico said she quickly noticed floors lifting and mold inside their bathroom. Over the next couple of years, the problems got worse: an HVAC system continued to leak and the ceiling over her daughter’s bed began to cave in by several inches.
Anthonie Talarico, a Navy cryptologist, developed a respiratory infection and when Jackie cleaned out an air filter in the air conditioning system, she had an allergy attack so severe it sent her to the hospital. Her 7-year-old daughter had nosebleeds and vomiting fits, while her 4-year-old son had developmental delays while living in the home, which was managed by private housing contractor Balfour Beatty, which oversees housing at 55 Army, Navy, and Air Force installations in the U.S.
Four months after moving out, Talarico tested positive for mycotoxins or toxins from mold exposure. She still suffers from joint pain, chronic hives and abdominal issues, she told Task & Purpose. Now, she is waiting for more test results that could indicate if she has underlying autoimmune disorders.
As they prepare their new home, they’ve spent $20,000 replacing mold-laced furniture and other household items.
The Talarico’s are one of dozens of families who have joined a lawsuit against Balfour Betty for fraud and gross negligence, alleging that they were exposed to mold, water damage, lead paint, asbestos, structural defects, and other “serious unsafe conditions” because of “systematic neglect” by the company.
“What I hope to see is that all of our families get to see at least justice and accountability be served. I just want the acknowledgment that it wasn’t my fault, that I know, as a mother, I didn’t harm my babies. I thought they were in a safe home,” Talarico told Task & Purpose.
“We are aware of the complaint and intend to defend ourselves vigorously,” a spokesperson from Balfour Beatty Communities said in an emailed statement to Task & Purpose. The Navy declined to comment on the pending litigation.
Black mold and denials
Jackie Talarico said she hired her own mold inspector for their home, who discovered Stachybotrys in their walls, otherwise known as ‘black mold’ — a type that medical experts say can lead to allergic reactions, fatigue, light-headedness, irritability, and sleep issues or even fungal airway infections for those with weakened immune systems.
“Regardless of the outcome, I should have never been put in this position to even have that thought in my head,” she said. “What I’m going through now with all of my symptoms and the things I’m experiencing, I feel like that’s something people don’t realize. It doesn’t end when you leave Key West.”
Lawyers representing more than 190 current and former residents of Balfour Beatty homes in Florida allege that the company “misled” families about their repairs and never actually performed necessary remediation work. The company, the families allege, “falsely marked” work orders as finished.
“Balfour misled Plaintiff families into believing that repairs were made, knowing that families living in the homes would likely suffer serious health problems as a result of the conditions,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit lists a host of physical ailments the families ascribe to the unaddressed housing issues like asthma, respiratory issues, sinusitis, migraines, memory loss, brain fog, blurred vision, and compromised immune systems. In addition to the physical effects, the families are also seeking damages for “emotional and psychological injuries” such as depression and anxiety they are suffering as a result of the housing conditions.
Last August, the Talaricos moved out of the Balfour-run home — but not because they wanted to. Instead, they were given a 45-day notice to vacate so that Balfour Beatty could “perform necessary maintenance work.” Talarico and her two children slept on an air mattress at a temporary home while her husband was deployed.
Reenlistment bonus spent on new furniture
The Talaricos now live in Maryland, though the permanent change of station, PCS move to get there brought a final mold-related nightmare: when planning their household goods shipment to Maryland, the moving company told the Talaricos that they couldn’t “expose our crews to the potential health concern,” and instructed her to remove, clean and put her furniture in a “mold-free environment,” according to an email viewed by Task & Purpose.
Her husband’s reenlistment bonus has gone to replacing furniture, decor, couches, mattresses and sheets, she said.
“A bonus that should have been given to him for all his hard work and dedication to service,” Talarico said
Talarico said in addition to the common replacements, they’ve also lost family heirlooms and other sentimental, handmade decor.
As she shops for new furniture, Talarico said the mold effects still haunt her psychologically.
“Now I’m terrified of farmhouse furniture and decor. I’m in the store and I’m trying to go shopping for this new house after everything has been out on my curb. I’m looking in the store and I’m like, ‘I can’t buy this. Can it be remediated if this were to ever happen to me again?’” Talarico said. “I’m in this new house, and I know it’s safe, but I am constantly everywhere I go — I walk into your house, I’m looking at your HVAC, I’m in your bathroom. I’m checking for leaks. That is what it does to you.”
It’s not the first time that Balfour Beatty has come under fire for tenant housing issues. The company pleaded guilty in December 2021 to major fraud against the U.S. and agreed to pay more than $65 million in fines and restitution for falsifying its performance data and destroying resident comment cards to pocket performance incentive fees. The scheme, in part, led to the creation of the Tenant Bill of Rights for families living in private military housing and specifies that housing for military families must meet health and environmental standards, have working appliances and utilities and receive proper landlord management.
Talarico said she now advocates for all military families dealing with housing issues to “document and get it in writing.”
“If you don’t, they will continue to gaslight you. You won’t have the proof. And unfortunately, when companies decide to continue to put that greed and corruption above the health and safety of the families, you’re forced to do something like start a lawsuit,” she said. “You’re not crazy.”
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