BARTOW, Fla. -- This time last year we were dealing with Hurricane Irma. While the Tampa Bay area escaped the brunt of the storm, some residents in one Bartow neighborhood are still dealing with the aftermath.
Elinor Smith’s home was one of them.
“I got my roof replaced and I thank Will very much,” Smith said.
Bartow is William Likely’s hometown. Seeing the need in an area where he grew up, he is lending a hand.
“I try to do what I can to not break the bank. Just to get people back into their environment is important.”
His latest renovation is a home on East Tee Circle. Pictures show trees ripping through it after Hurricane Irma came through, damaging the roof and several of the rooms inside.
While the homeowners got FEMA money for the repairs, it wasn’t enough, and they couldn’t find a contractor to do the job. For Likely, the home on E. Tee Circle is particularly special because it belongs to a family he’s known since he was a kid.
Their mother, Ruth Showers, lived in the home for 40 years and left it as an inheritance for her children when she passed.
Likely says her children wanted to do what they could to save it. We’re told Showers was a single mother of eight who worked as a school cafeteria supervisor to provide for her family and pay off the home.
“Everyone seemed to know her. For me growing up, she was the cafeteria lady”
Now in honor of Mrs. Ruth, her family will soon have a renovated home to spend time in. The work should be done by November.
“They want to have Thanksgiving here, and I’m coming for a plate,” Likely said.
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