'Below Deck' Star Sandy Yawn Empties Life Savings on Half-finished $1.6 Million Florida Dream Home
Sandy Yawn has spent her life savings on a half-built Florida home.
Feb. 16 2024, Published 4:30 p.m. ET
Below Deck star Captain Sandy Yawn is facing a dire financial crisis after sinking $1.6 million into a Florida dream home three years ago that's yet to be finished, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Yawn confessed that she and her wife, Leah Shafer, emptied their life savings into building a custom home — only for the builder to jump ship, leaving them stranded without a place to live.
Yawn and Shafer emptied their life savings to build the home in Nocatee.
It's been a nightmare three years in the making for Yawn and Shafer.
"It’s been horrible," the Bravo star told the Post at the Miami Boat Show on Thursday. "We used all the money we had, and we still don’t have a home."
Yawn and her wife are among a dozen victims who purchased homes in Nocatee, a planned community outside of Jacksonville.
Buyers claim Pineapple Construction and CEO Spencer Calvert disappeared without finishing construction.
While the development has been featured on lists of the best places to live in the Sunshine State, the Bravo star and her wife wouldn't know as they've yet to be able to move in.
After spending their life savings on the Pineapple Construction home, the company and CEO Spencer Calvert have disappeared — and allegedly took clients' money with them.
"We want some accountability," Yawn said. "This has been very difficult, financially and emotionally. This was supposed to be our dream home."
Yawn said her home has not been worked on in over a year.
Despite breaking ground three years ago, Yawn's home remains half finished and inhabitable. Only 18 of the 33 planned homes have been completed.
Sources claimed the Pineapple Construction CEO still owns roughly a dozen parcels of land in the community.
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Yawn said they'll need to spend an additional $800,000 to complete the home.
While the reality star said they emptied their life savings to build the home, envisioning a life in the scenic community surrounded by golf courses, water parks, and lush landscaping, Yawn said they need another $800,000 to complete the home.
Yawn, who noted it's been over a year since work on the home has been done, confessed, "We don’t have that money. We’re in a position now where we have to try to get a loan."
The ordeal has driven some buyers to seek therapy to cope with the trauma and stress of the nightmare experience.
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"We did everything right," one buyer said. "We saved, we worked hard for years and years. But one bad move with one bad actor and we don’t know what we’re going to do. It’s hard to describe it to you."
In addition to home buyers, contractors have also grappled with major financial loss due to Pineapple's collapse. After spending hundreds of thousands in work on the homes, they've allegedly yet to receive payment from Calvert.
"He’s a good talker," Yawn said of the CEO. “He’s the kind of guy who tries to make you feel sorry for him."
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