Hundreds Of Tampa Residents Living In Squalor Face Eviction

TAMPA, FL — Despite receiving rent payments through Our Florida, an emergency rental assistance program, two apartment complexes in the University Area are preparing to evict hundreds of elderly, disabled and low-income residents over rent they said they didn't know was owed.

It was a topic that dominated the Tampa City Council meeting Thursday, outraging council members as they listened to horror stories about the treatment of residents and the conditions in which they've been forced to live.

Both apartment complexes are located in the University of South Florida area, previously known as Suitcase City because of its abundance of low-income and temporary student housing. The two apartment complexes discussed — Silver Oaks Apartments at 4200 Kenneth Court and Timber Falls Apartments at 2600 E. 113th Ave. — receive Section 8 low-income housing money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Additionally, the state's Our Florida program has been sending the rent payments directly to the property managers for the low-income residents who qualified to receive up to 15 months of rent and utility payments from the state.

Councilman Luis Viera said he found out about the crisis facing residents after receiving several calls from Timber Falls residents.

Not only are the apartments run down, infested with rats and cockroaches, contaminated with black mold and plagued by toilets overflowing, spilling sewage into the units, but new management at the apartment complexes are in the process of evicting hundreds of residents, claiming they have rent payments and other fees in arrears.

Residents said they are receiving bills ranging from $900 to $12,000 for back rent they never knew they owed.

"It's probably happening in other places, too," Viera said. "We just don't know about it. A couple of days ago, many, if not most of the residents, according to what I've seen at Timber Falls, got notices stating that they owed in back fees, back debts, etc. I've seen between $900 up to $6,000, $7,000 (in bills). Another person told me they got a notice (for) $12,000."

When he visited Timber Falls, he said he was startled by what he saw and heard. With about a dozen residents in tow, Viera said he marched to the property manager's office to find out what was going on.

Viera said the property manager wasn't forthcoming and wouldn't provide specifics on why the residents were receiving the bills leading to their eviction.

"If they have an explanation for this, I haven't heard it," he said. "It's kind of vague right now."

A person answering the phone at the apartment complex agreed to give a message to the property manager from Patch asking for comment.

"She's on the phone right now but will get right back to you," said the employee Thursday. As of Monday afternoon, Patch had yet to receive a call from the property manager.

The property manager did agree to one concession.

Viera said she agreed to revoke the notices for the residents who qualify for Section 8 housing, Viera said.

Nevertheless, Viera said he left feeling angry and frustrated.

"You've got someone who is paying $900, $1,000 a month in rent and they are on disability, they are a senior citizen, they are working minimum wage, whatever, and you say they owe six, seven, eight thousand dollars. It is outrageous," he said.

Residents Stymied By Apartment Managers

Ed Holly is a resident of Timber Falls and the caretaker of his father, who also lives at the apartment complex.

He told the council he just received a $6,400 bill from the Timber Falls' property manager along with an eviction notice for both he and his father.

"They have 300 units with 180 occupied, and everybody got an eviction notice because they said we owe money to the new managers," he said. "My Daddy don't deserve that. He's 67 years old with dementia. Please, help protect us."

Holly noted there are 1,648 homeless people now living on the streets of Tampa.

"Me or my Daddy ain't going to be one of them," he told the council. "Mr. Viera, I want to thank you for coming out there and speaking up on our behalf but I'm holding all of you accountable. Are you going to help me?"

A Timber Falls resident since February 2019, Cheryl Faddis told the council she went to the property manager's office to renew her lease in February 2021 and was told the apartment complex would not renew her annual lease because she qualified for the Our Florida rental assistance program, which paid her rent through July 2022.

"It didn't sound right that I can't go into the office and renew my lease," Faddis said. She said she returned to the property manager's office this past February and asked again to renew her annual lease because she said she wouldn't be able to qualify for Our Florida again without a lease agreement.

She said the property manager told her to simply submit her old lease to Our Florida and, when the state calls the property manager's office, the manager will discuss with the state why the complex is not renewing her lease.

"He said don't worry about your rent at this time," Faddis said "You have a credit."

Knowing that her Our Florida rent payments ended July 31, Faddis approached the property manager again on July 1 and asked to renew her lease. Since February, the apartment complex had been sold and has a new property manager.

"She said, 'No, ma'am, your have rent in arrears.' I asked how that was possible? Our Florida paid the rent for me," Faddis said.

The property manager told her that, although Our Florida paid her monthly rent, the former property manager placed her on a month-to-month lease, which costs $300 over and above what Our Florida paid.

"So, now I am $1,900 in arrears," Faddis said.

On July 5, Faddis said she paid the apartment complex all she could afford on her fixed income to show good faith — $1,300. The next day, an eviction notice was attached to her apartment door.

"She (the property manager) said whatever happened before is not her fault and that I will be evicted from my place," Faddis said.

Resident Valencia Simpson, who's lived at Timber Falls for two years, during which the apartment complex changed hands three times, told a similar story.

"We are forced to stay here because the rent is so high everywhere else," she said. "I'm on Social Security. I get $800 and something dollars a month. I'm forced to stay here sucking up mold, and then they are trying to get all this money out of us. They want me to pay $3,000. How do I do that?"

Additional calls by Patch to the apartment complex went unanswered. But a message on the apartment complex's answering machine announced it is under new management and has one-bedroom, one-bathroom and two-bedroom, one-bathroom units ready to lease.

Are Developers Forcing Low-Income Residents Out?

Councilman Orlando Gudes said he was appalled by the situation.

He theorized that low-income apartments in the University Area, which is undergoing major revitalization, are being bought up for redevelopment as off-campus housing, and the new owners are trying to force the current low-income residents out.

"Somebody probaby bought the complex and now pushes all the poor people out because they are getting ready to do a new build for student housing," he said. "It sounds criminal. It needs to be investigated."

However, the council told residents its hands are tied when it comes to regulating apartment complexes.

About five years ago, the responsibility for licensing apartment complexes with five units or more was taken from counties and municipalities and handed over to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

State Refers Rental Problems To Attorneys

When Patch contacted the DBPR, Beth N. Pannell, director of communications for the DBPR responded, saying "the division has no authority related to eviction matters. Specific landlord and tenant responsibilities are listed in the landlord-tenant lease agreement and such agreements are governed by Florida law (see Chapter 83, Part II, Florida Statutes)."

She added that, "Tenants may want to discuss their rights and options with an attorney. The Florida Bar offers a lawyer referral service that can connect tenants with attorneys in their area. DBPR is unable to represent tenants or to provide legal advice."

"The housing crisis is at a point where it has become catastrophic," said Linda Wiggins-Chavis, a housing advocate with the nonprofit Faith in Florida. "It is no longer a crisis and it isn't just about affordable rent. It is about widespread gentrification by developers. It is about skyrocketing rent, skyrocking mortgages, security deposits and application fees that people can't afford."

She said she was disgusted during a recent visit to Silver Oaks.

"One woman said she woke up on the middle of the night to find a rat biting at her baby's nose and mouth in the crib. This is what people are dealing with. These are the stories that we hear," Wiggins-Chavis said.

Unfortunately, she said, the COVID-19 money awarded to Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa for rental assistance isn't being distributed quickly enough to stave off the evictions.

"So, people are becoming homeless because of this," she said. "And once they're homeless, what does emergency rental assistance do for them? Nothing. The homeless population just keeps increasing and increasing. We cannot continue to marginalize already marginalized people. Something has to be done to help them get back on their feet."

Robin Lockett, representing Florida Rising, a grassroots working to empower Black and brown communities, said her group got involved with Timber Falls a year ago and, despite repeated calls to city and state officials, has made no headway in improving conditions at the apartment complex.

She said the city's code enforcement department told her repeatedly that the city doesn't have the authority to cite apartment complexes that fall under the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation's jurisiction. But when her group called the DBPR for help, she said there was no response.

"We got no results, nothing," she said. "So now this slumlord with rat infestation, roaches, raw sewage, balconies about to fall down is charging these tenants excess fees. There's a real disconnect between all these departments that are supposed to be there to protect and regulate. Nobody talks to one another."

Advocates Worry Housing Crisis Will Deepen

Councilman Guido Maniscalco said the problem is only going to worsen.

"You look at the inflation rate at 9.1 percent. You look at what's going on with the stock market," he said. "We're in a financial crisis and we're in a housing crisis, and we're going to have a lot of people on the streets if we don't use all the tools in our toolbox within our jurisdiction. As the city council, we can only do so much but we should do as much as we can because this is just the tip of the iceberg."

"We need to shout loud enough for the state of Florida to hear us," Citro said. "It's darn time they start hearing what our citizens are saying."

"I will echo council's absolute frustration," said Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak. "Yes, we are limited in what we can do, but why can't we get through to the state? It is unbelievably frustrating. It's just criminal the way these people are living, and telling us we can't do anything about it is like standing in front of a burning building with people inside and saying, 'Oh, you can't fight that fire.' It's just unconscionable. At some point we have to do something, but I wish I knew what."

Until now, the city's code enforcement department was limited to inspections of the interiors of the apartment complexes. Any complaints dealing with the interior were forwarded to the state.

But after numerous meetings with the DBPR and HUD, Keith O'Connor, neighborhood enhancement manager for the city, said the DBPR conceded it doesn't have the resources to enforce code violations at all the apartment complexes in the state with more than five units and will allow the city to investigate violations inside apartment complexes, as well.

"We've been dealing with Timber Falls and Silver Oaks for a year," O'Connor said. "Just like you do, the staff wants these residents to live in safe, structually sound units like they deserve so we've had many meetings with the county, the state and HUD, and at this point going forward, we will cite the apartments and go through the process, and if the state and federal government aren't addressing the problems, we will. We are not going to leave it and let these places continue to deteriorate."

Residents Asked To Call City With Complaints

O'Connor said the key is for residents to call code enforcement with a complaint.

"There has to be a specific complaint involving a specific apartment to initiate an investigation," he said. He urged residents to call code enforcement directly at (813) 275-5545, "and we'll get the process going."

Once code enforcement does its inspection and verifies the problem, O'Connor said the apartment complex will receive a notice giving it 21 days to correct the violation.

If the problem is not corrected, the matter will go to a hearing before a code enforcement magistrate, who will either grant an extension or begin fining the apartment complex on a daily basis until the problem is fixed.

Maniscalco, who said he cringed when he heard the story of the rat in the baby's crib, welcomed O'Connor's update.

"This will at least take care of the property and let them live in dignity and peace," he said.

He added, however, that the apartment complex owners still need to be held accountible for presenting residents with inflated bills and then evicting them when they can't pay.

"What is wrong with our civilization and society that we make people live in garbage conditions and then we threaten to throw them out on the streets? When does the greed stop?" he asked "We should be ashamed of ourselves that we treat people like this when I believe decent housing is a right. I think it's disgusting the way they act.