VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — What appears from the outside to be a safe and supportive community for military families is, according to several residents, plagued by serious and ongoing problems — including mold, pest infestations, persistent flooding, and repeated air conditioning failures.

Philip Rizzo, an Army veteran and CEO of Liberty Military Housing — the company managing Wadsworth Shores — acknowledged the growing concerns in an interview with 10 On Your Side.

“We have several hundred surveys we received just this year from just the residents at Wadsworth,” Rizzo said. “… We’ve got about 3% of folks who are below average. And that number, just from the surveys, is about 13 families.”

Rizzo went on to say that “we want to make sure we’re addressing those 13 exceptions at any time we get in a below-average survey response.”

But for families living in the Hampton Roads complex, the issues feel far more widespread.

Skylar Waddell, a longtime military spouse and resident, said she just wishes something would get done.

“It’s military housing,” Waddell said. “I’ve been a spouse for 13 years. It’s something that should be a safe place for us.”

Instead, Waddell and others describe repeated flooding that damages homes and vehicles alike.

“Every time it rains, it leads to flooding in almost every single court,” Waddell said. “And then, if it’s a major, major rain or, you know, God forbid, a hurricane — people have lost their cars.”

Ezekiel Stahr, another resident, said the lack of functioning air conditioning has made his home nearly unlivable.

“Some days I dread coming home,” he said. “It’ll be like 78, 90 degrees.”

The housing conditions have caused emotional and financial strain for families — some of whom say they cannot afford repairs or the costs tied to damaged property. Several residents have expressed frustration with what they see as a lack of accountability.

Rizzo insists Liberty Military Housing is working to respond, but also said many issues are not being reported in the company’s internal reporting system.

“When I look at our system and what’s been input[ted], I don’t see a long list of grievances,” he said. “If they’re not getting to us, we can’t address them.”

In a letter sent Friday, Liberty reminded residents of the formal three-step dispute resolution process, overseen by the Navy Housing Office, that is meant to advocate for families. But some residents say the process itself feels ineffective.

Rizzo maintained that the company is willing to work with families who escalate their concerns.

“If someone goes through that process — we’ve gotten to that place before with folks — we’ve allowed them to break their lease and to move out,” he said. “As to damages, we’re pretty fair. We write off far more damages than our conventional counterparts do.”

When asked about the mice and cockroach infestation, Rizzo explained: “I’m not aware of a widespread infestation issue. In any situation, we’re going to have instances where folks have pest control challenges, and we have vendors that we work with. We have a process, obviously, for escalating issues.”

As it pertains to flooding, Rizzo said in-home damage will be handled accordingly, and compensation is available under their policy, “but also, under the renters insurance policy that the renters have. So, we look at that … if it’s tied to the exterior or the common area.”

Rizzo then addressed the air conditioning issues, telling WAVY 10 that they encourage the community to reach out.

“Some homes are older; some homes are newer,” he said. “We want them to be operating efficiently. And to that end, if there are AC issues, then we look to address those.” He also adds that portable AC units are ‘finite’ and are given out based on priority.

“Our primary mission is to serve military families,” Rizzo said. “And so, seeing that folks aren’t getting what they what they signed up for is disconcerting for me and for our team.”

Some families at Wadsworth Shores have mentioned fear of retaliation, to which Rizzo said, “In this current setup, an environment, there is no retaliation possible from us as a private provider any more than you’d have retaliation from your landlord.”

As frustrations rise, questions remain about how many families are truly affected — and whether the system in place to protect them is working as intended.