- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Real Estate
The Seminole Tribe of Florida has filed an amended complaint in a Florida circuit court against Lennar Homes, alleging that the Miami-based builder delivered hundreds of defective homes across six tribal reservations, causing widespread property damage, health risks, and financial losses.
The lawsuit, originally filed in March 2025, accuses Lennar of negligent and defective design, manufacture, and construction of more than 550 homes. Inspections have revealed failures in building envelopes, electrical and mechanical systems, ventilation and roofing, according to the lawsuit. The tribe is seeking damages in the “hundreds of millions” of dollars.
The tribe filed the amended complaint and demand for jury trial in Broward County, Fla., in August 2025. In September, the tribe filed a legal response to Lennar's motion to compel arbitration, arguing its sovereign immunity and the original construction agreement bar arbitration and require the dispute to be resolved in court.
The complaint also cites visible mold, excess humidity and elevated mold spores and dust mite particles in breathing zones, conditions that have rendered many homes uninhabitable.
“This legal filing against Lennar Homes reads like a homebuilder horror show, because it is,” Seminole Tribe of Florida Chairman Marcellus Osceola Jr. said in a statement reported by local news outlet Local10. “Many of our tribal members have lived a nightmare due to dangerous health issues and other devastating impacts from construction defects in their homes.”
The tribe is pursuing damages for property losses, reimbursement for repairs, relocation costs and healthcare expenses tied to mold exposure and poor air quality. The complaint also alleges that Lennar misled tribal officials for months by suggesting it would resolve the issues amicably while concealing the full extent of the defects.
The tribe paid Lennar $300 million to build the homes, according to CBS News Miami. William Scherer, an attorney for the Seminole Tribe, told the news outlet that all roofs must be replaced and that every house among the 465 homes has water intrusion and mold issues.
“We filed the lawsuit almost a year ago and had been in talks with Lennar to come in and fix the houses, and we had promises after promises, and after nine to 10 months, the tribe said, ‘Enough is enough,’” Scherer told CBS News Miami.
Lennar denied wrongdoing in a statement shared with media.
“At Lennar, we stand firmly behind the homes we build—guided by our core values of quality, value, and integrity,” the company said. “We take these concerns seriously and seek to work collaboratively with the Seminole Tribe to address them.”
