Veteran and family receives keys to new Lake Nona home

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — It's one of the fastest-growing areas in Orange County and now a wounded veteran has a national organization to thank for giving him a piece of the American dream in Lake Nona.

Eyewitness News was there as the veteran and his family accepted the key to their new home.

Army Staff Sgt. Kyle Evans, his girlfriend and 3-year-old son were welcomed to their new and permanent home on Thursday.

Evans' home is the first one that Building Homes for Heroes has given to a veteran in the Lake Nona area, which is just a few miles from the new VA Medical Center set to open in 2014.

While Evans may look fine on the outside, having the center nearby is crucial because he still deals with internal injuries after an improvised explosive device detonated under his seat in Iraq.

"They determined after the brain injury, I wasn't fit to continue service," Evans said.

Building Homes for Heroes believed Evans was the ideal candidate for a new home.

"We want to make sure they aren't just coming for a free home. We're thanking for them for what they've done and what they are still doing," James Madison with Building Homes for Heroes said.

The organization already has another home under construction in the Lake Nona area by the VA Medical Center. They started building the home in March and a family is expected to move in during early 2014.

WFTV