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‘My Warrior’s Place’ moving due to road dispute
Jonee' Lewis reports.
RUSKIN,Fla. - It was designed to be a safe refuge and bring healing and hope to all veterans and military service members who have returned home.
Kelly Kowall founded My Warriors Place after her son, SPC. Corey Kowall was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 at just 20 years old.
"He lost his life fighting for the land of the free. But I really don't feel it's free right now," Kowall said.
The quiet retreat center is along a waterfront property in Ruskin. The same waters where she once kayaked with her son.
READ: Mother creates ‘My Warrior’s Place’ in Ruskin after he son was killed while serving in the military
She says their peaceful, secluded location is in jeopardy due to a dispute over who owns the road that runs between the retreat center and a neighboring property.
Kowall says it’s a private road that they’ve paid taxes on for many years, but the county says it’s a public road.
"Well, the county has decided that they're going to take what was a private road and turn it into a public road. They're trying to say that it was always a public road, but I have a hard time thinking that for over 20 years it had a blue private road sign," Kowall said.
The county says the wrong sign was put up years ago. A spokesperson said a new property owner purchased the neighboring land and inquired about the road.
Kowall says the change is forcing them to navigate new issues and make tough decisions.
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"Well, we can't control who's coming down it anymore. We have people that are now speeding down and we can't stop them like we could before. We've had people that have thrown trash out and we can't do anything about it," Kowall said.
She said, as a result, they’re now relocating the property from Ruskin to a piece of land in Punta Gorda where they will rebuild. Kowall says it’s also another quiet space near water where they will continue the same programs and mission.
Kowall says it’s hard to let the current land go especially when thinking of the thousands of veterans that benefit from the space each year.
"It's a place that can come and kind of unwind and calm down before going home. So I'm sorry that they're not going to be able to do that anymore," Kowall said.
They will be fundraising to help with the costs. For more information on how you can support click here.