PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A Port St. Lucie woman has finally reclaimed her property after police said a Michigan woman with the same last name fraudulently sold land she never legally owned.
Rosalee McCurdy's vacant lot is filled with sand, weeds, shrubs and construction debris. But most importantly, it's hers again.
WATCH BELOW: Woman gets her stolen land back after year-long legal battle
"I'm just happy to have my lot back," McCurdy said.
The property was stolen in June 2024 when Port St. Lucie police say Rosalie Lawrence, who previously had the last name McCurdy, was contacted by an acquisition company and sold the land she never legally owned.
According to a police report, the acquisition company then sold the property to Texas-based D.R. Horton Homes.
McCurdy, the rightful owner, only discovered the fraudulent sale when she went to pay her property taxes.
After a year-long legal saga and thousands of dollars in legal fees, McCurdy finally got her land back when a St. Lucie County judge awarded her the title last week.
"It's like I'm buying my lot back, which was like mine to begin with in the first place. It doesn't seem to make any sense to me," McCurdy said.
Police charged Lawrence with an ongoing scheme to defraud and the criminal use of personal information. Lawrence has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is set to go on trial in February.
McCurdy said if the WPTV investigation hadn't exposed this crime, she might have lost the land where she plans to build her retirement home.
"Thank you so much, I really do appreciate it, what you've done. I couldn't have done it without you," McCurdy said.
McCurdy does not have a timetable to build on the property, but eventually envisions a three-bedroom home with a modern design.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.