SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — How does a government not know about an apartment building with sagging floors and a roof so full of moisture, apartment units’ ceilings were falling in?
Government employees give two reasons: one, there are no structural engineers on staff, and two, because Florida doesn’t want local governments stepping onto private property.
The conversations happened as tenants of the Altamonte Terrace Apartments prepared to pack their belongings and find another place to live.
In September, two buildings were declared unfit for human habitation due to problems mostly stemming from the 50-year-old roofs.
Initially, property managers told the tenants they could live at an adjacent hotel until repairs were made.
On October 4, letters were distributed saying leases at the affected buildings would be terminated and the tenants would have to vacate by October 17 or begin paying the hotel rate.
“Affordable housing is extremely hard to find right now for middle of the low [and] low-income people,” Stan Lerner mused. “I’m trying to figure out what to do in nine days to protect my family.”
Altamonte Springs’ city manager said inspectors were dispatched to the other buildings owned by the Daytona Beach-based couple. Violations were found, he said, and fines are being levied until repairs are made.
Crews could be seen making repairs to sagging exterior balconies on one of the unaffected buildings, part of a permit that was filed into Seminole County’s system last month.
However, city staff said state law was set up to keep government out of landlord-tenant disputes, part of why the laws are viewed as so landlord friendly in the state.
In a case like Altamonte Terrace, the tenants rarely have enough money to afford to hire a lawyer.
“When people say that Florida landlord tenant law is landlord friendly, that is in large part what they’re talking about,” attorney Jesse Clark, who represents tenants in disputes, said.
Seminole County’s government has sent tenants to Altamonte Terrace. When asked why taxpayer funds were going to a property with uninhabitable buildings, staff said it was ranked near the bottom – if not the bottom – of their list.
However, some people are “un-leasable” because of criminal or other histories, they said, and they viewed Altamonte Terrace as a better option than homelessness.
They said the county inspects properties they place people at, but structural issues aren’t examined. Given the situation, staff said they only look for the most basic things like whether the water is running and whether the doors can lock.
Altamonte Terrace’s owners and attorneys representing the owners did not return requests for comment Thursday. On Wednesday, the property manager accused the news crew of trespassing while they were standing on a public road, and then refused to answer questions.
Altamonte Springs staff said the property owner submitted their proposal to repair the two buildings Thursday morning.
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