Taunton Family Plans to Rebuild Home Despite Insurance Problems
Taunton Family Plans to Rebuild Home Despite Insurance Problems Save Email Print
Posted: 6:59 PM Jan 2, 2009
Last Updated: 10:00 PM Jan 2, 2009
Reporter: Vanessa Nguyen
Email Address: vanessa.nguyen@wjhg.com


Taunton Family home before the fire

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It’s been less than three days since a fire completely destroyed the main structure of the Taunton Family Children’s Home complex.

And, even though they do not have insurance coverage for it, the Wewahitchka family refuses to look back on the past with regret.

Now, they are picking themselves up and looking forward to the future.

You never would have guessed David Taunton just lost his home.

He is already talking about all the upcoming projects they want to work on for their new summer camp.

“Yes, but we've never been ones to look back so much,” Taunton said. “We try to move ahead; that's kinda’ been a trademark of our family. Small things like fires, natural disasters don’t deal much of a blow to the Almighty God."

On Wednesday morning, a fire broke out from the back of the Taunton's house and moved to the front.

Luckily, David and his wife were vacationing out-of-town and no one was hurt.

However, they recently cancelled their insurance policy on the million-dollar home because the high monthly premium under the renewal plan was almost a thousand dollars a month.

Even though the Taunton’s cancelled, their renewed insurance policy six months before the fire, they say they're not going to let it interfere with their plans for this summer camp or plans to rebuild their new home.

David and his wife were originally thinking of building just a small home for themselves.

"But my children who were raised here, they were just broken hearted; we sat down with them and they were just telling things like, 'you just don't know how I planned to bring my children and grandchildren back to this beautiful place to show them where I was raised and how I was raised’. It just touched my heart so much that I said, 'you know, if this is what you want to do, this is what we're gonna’ do; we're gonna’ build it back just like it was, only better," Taunton said.

And, as far as making it better, they plan to design the inside of the new house to be more of a multi-purpose room, without 30 kids living in it at the same time.

The Taunton’s are currently staying in their guesthouse.

They have set up a benefit fund with People's First Community Bank.

Donations can be made under the name "Taunton Family Children's Home."

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Posted by: Floridian Location: Gulf County on Jan 12, 2009 at 10:25 AM
Of course David Taunton is looking forward--the family has more money than God and they are absolutely fine! Sure, the house was lost, but they have the resources to rebuild it 10 times better than it was.

Posted by: STEPHEN BUIRSLEY Location: MANISTEE MI on Jan 12, 2009 at 01:33 AM
OMG THIS IS NUTS... I LIVED HERE FOR ABOUT A YEAR IN THE BOYS HOME.... I CANT BELIEVE THIS HAPPEND! HOPE EVERYTHING GOES SWELL SINCERELY STEPHEN

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