When Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle on October 10, 2018, all of our lives were forever changed. It devastated my hometown of Panama City and all of Bay County including Mexico Beach, beyond anything we could have imagined. Mexico Beach was nearly wiped off the map – homes swept off their foundation, several restaurants simply vanished, roads and buried utilities damaged beyond repair. Surfside condominiums were left standing but the storm surge swept through not just the parking garage but also the first floor taking nearly everything with it – furniture, doors, windows, appliances, everything. The high winds peeled the majority of the roof back allowing the water, sun, and elements to pour in while the HOA grappled with how best to proceed.

As the President of the Home Owners Association, I was tasked with bringing all 18 unit owners together to agree on a unified goal. As a Bay County local, I knew thousands of contractors had flooded into the area to take advantage of our devastated community. As an engineer, I knew we needed to find a contractor we could trust that was willing to take on the monumental task of rebuilding a 15-year-old building, owned by 18 different individuals in an area without any resources such as gas stations, hotels, or restaurants. I needed someone qualified that would take on a project with limited funds and virtually non-existent design drawings.

We were introduced to Sperry and Associates by a colleague I trusted. When their team of friendly professionals took the reins of our project, the process started moving and it started moving quickly. They rose to the challenge. They hit the ground running and never slowed down. While exceeding their own production schedule at a dazzling pace, they consoled the many overwhelmed homeowners; they worked with the HOA to assist with our insurance claims. When they had concerns, they called in their own third-party consultants, at no additional cost to the HOA. There were change orders, yes, but none were without warrant or value. Now, twelve months of hard work later, Sperry has turned over the keys to a fully renovated and reconstructed Surfside Condominium.