An additional 80 people have joined a lawsuit that accused military housing giant Balfour Beatty of “concealing horrific (housing) conditions from unsuspecting service men and women and their families.” The company manages large tracts of military housing on posts and bases across the United States, including the Key West neighborhoods of Sigsbee Park, Trumbo Point and Truman Annex.
Just Well Law filed an amended suit against the U.K.-based Balfour Beatty on Sept. 9 – upping the original number of plaintiffs from 192 to 272.
The original suit, filed in March, includes a long list of counts against Balfour Beatty, including breach of contract, negligence, gross negligence, nuisance, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of warranty of habitability, third-party beneficiary contract, medical monitoring, violation of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Practices Act, negligent misrepresentation concerning housing conditions, negligent misrepresentation concerning remediation of unsafe conditions, fraudulent inducement, fraudulent misrepresentation, fraudulent concealment of housing conditions, fraudulent concealment leading to decisions to remain in homes and fraudulent concealment.
The suit cites testimonials from 75 families. Some report serious health problems and economic losses — including loss of personal property, repair costs and current and future medical expenses. Others describe symptoms such as sore throats, congestion, fatigue, brain fog, irritability and chronic coughing.
Even with the addition of 80 individuals, Balfour Beatty’s position has not changed. A company representative said:
“We are aware of the amended claim and intend to defend ourselves vigorously. The well-being of residents will always remain our number one priority.”
This is not the first time Balfour Beatty has faced legal trouble. In 2021, the company paid more than $65 million in fines and restitution for a fraud scheme involving U.S. military housing repairs.
While the Navy does not comment on pending litigation, it has budgeted $67 million in the 2026 fiscal year for a long-term strategy to modernize military housing in the Southeast.
In the meantime, many units in the Sigsbee and Trumbo neighborhoods remain unoccupied and under renovation. As a result, military members and families are relying on their Basic Housing Allowance to rent in the local community. This creates added strain on civilian residents, who are now forced to compete with military members for the limited supply of long-term rental properties in Key West and the Lower Keys.
Jackie Telarico, who has been at the forefront of this issue since she lived in Key West military housing, said the lawsuit represents a turning point.“While the lawsuit is still at its beginning stages, I believe it has been an awakening force, not only for those in Key West past and present – but all the service members and their families across the country who have been impacted by the systemic life, health and safety issues in our privatized military provided homes,” she told the Keys Weekly. “Key West so far is the largest military housing lawsuit to date. While there have been many shouting for help for decades due to the deplorable conditions, I believe it has empowered many across the nation this past year to speak up and say ‘no more,’ by either starting their own legal pursuit for justice and accountability or to push for policy change in Washington, D.C. to help protect others. This has been the fuel our people across the nation needed to know they’re not alone.”
