TAMPA, Fla. — A U.S. Air Force master sergeant who has served across the globe — from Guam to Alaska to Germany — says mold in base housing at MacDill Air Force Base has devastated his family's health and is forcing him to retire far sooner than he ever planned.
Zachary Pletcher follows in the footsteps of generations of family members who have fought for our freedom, saying the pride and patriotism shaped him.
A life built on big adventures — now crumbling, forcing Zach and his wife, Brandy, to make their world smaller.
They now live on MacDill in a trailer they trust.
"We are only in this camper because we need to be able to lay our head on our pillow at night and feel safe," Brandy told the I-Team.
They moved into the trailer December, after Zach says mold inside their assigned home made them sick.
WATCH: MacDill Air Force Base mold concerns persist, with service member telling I-Team he must retire early
The sound of a machine now permeates their small space.
"This is my portable oxygen machine," Brandy said. "I have chronic respiratory failure with hypoxia."
This is "from mold exposure," according to Brandy's medical records.
Zach says the health toll has also been severe for him.
"I have to leave the service much sooner than I ever thought I would," he said. "Let me start with where we know it began."
A new chapter
Zach and Brandy moved onto MacDill in 2023.
"It was exciting, because it was a new chapter," Zach said.
That chapter quickly unraveled.
After Hurricanes Helene and Milton struck in 2024, their home sustained water damage. A contractor was brought in to remediate.
"They brought in fans to try and air out holes in the ceiling and the walls," Zach said.
The home they were in at the time of the storms was an ADA-accessible home assigned to the family.
"My wife is handicapped," Zach said.
It was after contractors closed up the walls following remediation, he said, that he noticed problems with his wife.
"My wife immediately had started to get sick," Zach said.
Brandy says she began struggling to breathe, which is not something she had ever experienced before.
"I started to feel like I couldn't get air," Brandy said. "I took my oxygen levels, and they were scary low. And the lowest they dropped down to was, I believe, 62. And I — my husband had to call 911."
Paralysis, tremors, and a forced retirement
Zach then began experiencing his own symptoms — weakness in his arms and legs that has grown progressively worse.
"And now, it's — if I hold up my arm, I've got massive tremors," he said. "I can't write."
Zach told the I-Team he's been diagnosed with neurological function disorder.
"The weakness and the tremors got greater and my body got weaker as we stayed in the house. And on Memorial Day of 2025, I was taking a nap," he said. "I woke up and I couldn't move my arms and legs."
Zach said he was paralyzed for 13 hours.
"I've probably had 44 to 45 paralytic episodes since," Zachary said. "They last anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours."
Sharing his story with the I-Team, Zach said it was a good day for him.
"It's a good day for me because I normally stutter a lot. Because my mouth can't keep up with my brain now," he said.
The I-Team has heard similar stories from other service members also living on MacDill Air Force Base.
MacDill Air Force Base housing contractor placed on performance improvement plan amid mold concerns
"I started my medical retirement," Gerry Matos Negron told the I-Team earlier this year. "I got sick out of nowhere."
Matos Negron said he didn't have any strength in his hands.
"Everything was falling out of my hand," he said. "I was unable to, kind of like, undress a simple shirt or even brush my teeth."
After visiting the clinic, Matos Negron says his wife asked the doctor whether there could be any connection to mold in their home.
"There's a possibility that that triggers your husband's autoimmune disease," Matos Negron said, recounting what the doctor told them.
One of his 11-year-old twin boys, he said, has not stopped coughing.
"The pediatrician, he asked me, 'Are you in the mold situation, or do you live in the mold?' I said, 'As a matter of fact, I am," Matos Negron said.
Mold inspector: Every home was unfit for humans
The Pletchers' story echoes accounts from other service members and their families living on base who have reported similar health problems after moving into base housing on MacDill.
A mold inspector brought in as part of an ongoing lawsuit against the housing contractor, The Michaels Organization, says the conditions he has found are widespread.
Josh Rachal, owner of Texas Mold Inspectors, has been inspecting homes on MacDill as part of a lawsuit filed against The Michaels Organization, which manages base housing under the name Harbor Bay at MacDill.
He's inspected "approximately 60 homes."
"Every single home I have entered, I've found conditions that are really unfit for humans to live in," Rachal told the I-Team earlier this year. "No mold should be growing in anyone's home."
The Pletchers' home was among those Rachal inspected.
"He opened up the HVAC panel and our entire inside was a carpet," Zach said, describing the mold.
"I was sleeping in a hospital bed in my living room. That hospital bed had only been in my house for two months. The amount of mold that accumulated on that hospital bed…it's crazy. It's sickening," Brandy said.
The family left the home after the November inspection results.
Lawsuit, accountability, and a growing list of families
A 218-page lawsuit filed last September against The Michaels Organization includes 39 families who claim they lived in mold-ridden homes and say their pleas for help were met with "corporate indifference". The suit alleges fraud, negligence, and health problems.
I-TEAM SERIES | Investigating MacDill Mold
Following the I-Team's reporting on the conditions at MacDill, the Air Force placed The Michaels Organization on a performance improvement plan.
"The Michaels Organization was placed on a PIP following multiple problems identified across their portfolio that raised life, health and safety issues," according to a statement from the Air Force.
More than 40 families have now filed suit against the housing contractor.
Military families file lawsuit against privatized base housing owner at MacDill over 'toxic mold'
Zach told the I-Team it was Juan Torres who first warned him that the problem was bigger than their home. Torres is among those named in the lawsuit.
The I-Team met with Torres last year about the conditions inside his home, and asked if a representative from Harbor Bay at MacDill were sitting there, what he would want to tell them.
"I would tell them, would you put your family… and yourself… in this house? For four years. And if not, then how would you fix it to put your family in there? And that's what they have to do to get it right," Torres said.
Zach says he wants those responsible to be held accountable.
"I want simply… people to be accountable for what they've done to the families. And taken away the futures that they hoped to have," Zach said. "Because they were trusted. To keep you safe and protect you."
The Michaels Organization Statement
"We take pride in our rigorous processes and oversight that help ensure the maintenance and repair operations of our homes are lawful, safe, and consistent with our commitment to residents. While we cannot comment on potential litigation, we take all residents’ concerns very seriously. Our priority has always been and continues to be the well-being of our Harbor Bay residents, staff, and community."
MacDill Air Force Base Statement
“The health and safety of our service members and their families is our top priority. While the Department of the Air Force manages contract-level oversight of our privatized housing partners, the 6th Air Refueling Wing and MacDill Military Housing Office provide support to our service members and their families by holding Harbor Bay accountable. As evidenced by the Performance Improvement Plan, the command is committed to ensuring Harbor Bay fulfills the requirements of the individual lease agreements and their contract.
MacDill families have access to dedicated housing advocates on base, and leadership regularly reviews local maintenance metrics to ensure resident concerns are addressed. We remain committed to advocating for our residents, enforcing local standards, and ensuring our housing partner provides safe, high-quality homes.”
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