Families without electricity because landlords didn't pay bills. Florida again.

[madfloridian]

I read recently that about 100 countries own a tremendous amount of land in Central Florida.

When I posted this it was out of concern. I am reposting.

I have seen several instances lately of power not being available to residences in disadvantaged areas...or in areas whose owners are hurrying to turn them into luxury condominiums.

This on the surface appears to be a case of financially broke owners in Puerto Rico, but many of us here wonder if turning off utilities in a way to rush things toward the developers' benefit.

Motel Residents Sweltering..move outside

Count the number of units at $500 each, and that is not shabby profit. There is no excuse to have local managers who can not come up with 45,000 dollars to get the power back on. There is no excuse for lack of upkeep.



ERNST PETERS | LEDGER PHOTOS
Residents have pooled what food they have left before it spoils at the Tropicana.

DAVENPORT | The lights went out Tuesday morning and have yet to come back on for several dozen families who make their home at the Tropicana Resort motel complex on U.S. 27 across from the Posner Park development in Davenport.

The motel-turned-condominium, which has nearly 300 rooms, has been bedeviled with money woes in recent months and residents, many of whom eke out a living paycheck to paycheck, report going without hot water and cable television for months at a time.

Dan Walker, an on-site manager who owns five of the units, said the complex is run by a five-member board of directors representing 257 owners, most of whom live in Puerto Rico.

ERNST PETERS | LEDGER PHOTOS
Sugehi Vazquez holds her infant daughter, Evangeline, on Thursday in a hallway outside the room where they are living at the Tropicana Resort motel complex, which has been without electricity since Tuesday. Many residents have moved out, but about 20 families are left at the facility.

But when the new directors took over, they discovered that the owner association's bank account was empty, he said, and the association owed Progress Energy $46,000. The power was cut off at 10 a.m. Tuesday and it may be another week or more before the board of directors can get the lights back on, Walker said.

Several weeks to get the power back on because $46,000 is owed.

That is most certainly not all there is to this scenario.

[Rosemary2205]

1. Dang furriners.

This is what happens when we let "other countries" buy up "our" motels.

:eyes:

[Solon]

6. Even worse, since when was Puerto Rico a foriegn country? n/t

[madfloridian]

8. Please don't start on that.

I think this is a serious topic. I don't think the person read the whole post.

Distant landlords in any country are the problem, and I am posting about that. I requested one thread be locked because people were getting ugly.

It is about people suffering needlessly because of greed and lack of oversight.

[RB TexLa]

11. Then why insert your line about foreign investment in central Florida?

:shrug:

[madfloridian]

12. I said 100 countries.

When distant landlords are not regulated we all suffer.

Why are you continuing this?

When other countries are buying land up here and being neglectful, it bothers me.

Yet you are hounding me over this.

[intaglio]

2. Rachmannism

is the name given to this sort of practise in the UK. Next there will be a few phonecalls made to the police about drug dealers at such complexes etc etc ...

[madfloridian]

3. Can't find much about that term.

Is it done in a racist way or in a way to benefit developers who want to build more and better stuff and want no one in the way?

Thanks for the reply, BTW

[intaglio]

9. Rachmann was a slum landlord in London

During the 1950's and 60's. He would let condemned and insanitary premises to people of minority groups at inflated rents then rack the rent up to ridiculous levels forcing the occupant to illegally sublet or deal drugs or prostitute themselves. Those who could not pay or attempted to hold out were subjected to harrassment; the electricity would be cut off, water too, men urinate through your door, by arrangement with the local vice squad* your house would be raided, children would be threatened, actual violence would be done to you.

(*at the time the Metropolitan Police vice squad was known as "... the best police money could buy")

[madfloridian]

10. Thanks, I was searching with one n at the end.

I have seen much lately about sick people having electricity cut off, nowhere to go because the rent is cheaper where they are. Usually a trailer park is involved.

I have seen on the news lately trailer parks with raw sewage problems, low water pressure, etc. and the owners just don't fix it.

And no one does anything to them until the people have suffered a lot and some paper or news station brings it to the attention of the people.

[MadHound]

4. Can you say lawsuit?

I can, and if these people want their electric back, they should say the word also.

I had something similar happen to me once. I was livng in a house that had been converted to apartments. The landlord was wanting to tear it down and put up new apartments ASAP. We reached an agreement on the date I would be out by(Nov 1) and went on with life. I was moving out of town anyway, so this didn't bother me, except I couldn't move until Oct 31. I was the only one left living in the house, and two weeks before the legal date I was supposed to be out by, he up and shuts off the electric in order to force me to move. I got ahold of a lawyer friend, and we had a little sit down with the landlord, where express promises were made about court action if he didn't turn on the power. Well, he did that and refunded back my last month's rent as compensation.

These people should get themselves to a lawyer, for they've got a good case for breach of contract among other things.

[madfloridian]

5. All for a figure of $46,000 which could be gotten easily

by the owners and managers.

I notice a newer article says the community is starting to step up and help...but only a little bit.

I would imagine they would be afraid to file a lawsuit.

[noonwitch]

7. Same thing happens in Detroit every winter.

When the city doesn't have the resources to enforce the codes that apply to rental properties, the violations don't get addressed.