A St. Petersburg couple says the real gut punch from Hurricane Helene did not come from wind or water, but from what vanished afterward.
DeShawn Williams and his wife Ashlee allege that contractors hired by their mortgage company went into their Shore Acres home after the storm and hauled away personal belongings, including game-used NFL helmets and jerseys they had planned to hand down to their young son. The couple has filed a lawsuit in Pinellas County seeking the return of those items and accountability for the vendors they say were supposed to protect the property, not empty it.
According to a complaint reported by Tampa Bay 28, the couple’s mortgage servicer brought in Solid Foundation Properties LLC to secure their storm-damaged house. Solid Foundation, in turn, allegedly subcontracted with Colvin Inspections to inspect and “preserve” the home.
The lawsuit says an employee later messaged the family, offering to return the ashes of their 16-year-old dog, Gucci. Not long after, the family says they spotted a Facebook Marketplace listing that looked uncomfortably familiar: a Denver Broncos helmet priced at $800 and a Cincinnati Bengals jersey marked at $200.
Williams' NFL Career And New Coaching Job
Williams played in the NFL for roughly a decade before hanging up his cleats and moving into coaching. He recently joined the Oklahoma Sooners staff as a defensive analyst, according to Sports Illustrated, which highlights his college roots and professional background.
For the Williams family, the NFL gear was more than décor. The helmets and jerseys were mementos of a hard-won career, carefully set aside as heirlooms for their son. Losing them in the confusion after a hurricane is the kind of twist no one game-plans for.
Items Turned Up On Facebook Marketplace
Neighbors and the Williamses say what started on paper as basic preservation work morphed into something that looked a lot more like theft.
Tampa Bay 28 reports that the couple’s attorney recorded video of a subcontractor returning to the property with a truck and trailer even after the locks had been changed. St. Petersburg police told reporters they are actively investigating the case, although no one has been charged.
The online listings, the late-night driveway visit, and the missing memorabilia now sit at the center of both the civil lawsuit and the criminal probe.
Who The Vendors Are
On LinkedIn, Solid Foundation Properties describes itself as a national field-service vendor that steps in after disasters to handle inspections and preservation work on damaged homes. Mortgage servicers routinely hire such companies to secure properties that may be vacant, unlivable, or in limbo.
Local business listings and professional directories identify Colvin Inspections as a home-inspection business based in Ruskin and operated by David Colvin. The company appears in Better Business Bureau records and inspector registries with contact details that line up with the information cited in the Williamses’ lawsuit.
Legal Options And What Comes Next
The complaint filed by DeShawn and Ashlee Williams asks the court to order the return of their personal property and to grant additional relief under Florida law. The couple has also lodged a police report, putting both civil and criminal systems in motion.
Florida statutes allow people to seek the recovery of property that has been wrongfully taken and include theft provisions that let courts draw inferences based on recent possession of allegedly stolen items. Legal primers describe remedies such as replevin, which can be used to recover specific items that end up in someone else’s hands, even after a sale. FindLaw summarizes the state’s theft-related statutes and case law that often surface in disputes over recently transferred property.
For now, the Williams family says their priority is getting their heirlooms back, particularly the gear tied to DeShawn’s playing days. Their attorney notes that the lawsuit, along with the St. Petersburg police investigation, could drag on for months and argues the case highlights a recurring tension after big storms, when outside vendors hold the keys to damaged homes and homeowners are left hoping their belongings are still where they left them.
