To say this rental was a disappointment is a complete understatement. At a minimum, we expected a safe environment for our children and dogs as the rental was listed as both kid and pet friendly. We also expected a clean space given the cleaning and pet fees we had paid. I'm sad to say that this rental did not meet any of our expectations. The rental was essentially an active remodel/construction site. There were holes in the drywall, exposed electrical and plumbing, extra window panes leaning against a wall, and one exterior door was blocked by 2x4s. There was also a thin layer of remodel dust over everything and the furniture and bedding was musty, which wasn't totally unexpected given proximity to the beach and the general Florida humidity but it certainly didn't help the situation.
In the end, Sandy did refund everything we were charged and was very apologetic. She explained that she was unaware of the lack of progress by her contractor but, at the end of the day, we still felt very taken advantage of. We were able to get rooms at a nearby hotel but we had to pay more without being so close to the beach. We felt fortunate to have secured the refund and we're glad to have extra funds of our own while the refund processed. I'm sure some families would not have been in the same position, which could have been really bad if they had children or pets.