Large corporations raising lot rents, neglecting some maintenance issues at heart of troubles
When Rep. Paula Stark became aware of issues at Lake Runnymeade Mobile Home Park in St. Cloud, she went to work to help.
“Some of what’s happening is just outrageous. I’ve witnessed it. It’s horrible, and it’s just not going to happen in our backyard,” Stark said Monday at a press conference at the Sugar Mill Mobile Home Park.
Stark has been working on behalf of Lake Runnymeade residents to address water issues, among other things. After calls to the Department of Environmental Protection led nowhere, she sent them a photo she had of a glass of water from the park.
“It looked like iced tea coming out of the faucet. I said, ‘So you’re telling me you would drink that?’” Stark said that the last time she spoke with a DEP supervisor, she was told that they did an investigation and identified the problem.
“They said they’re working on notifying them [management] now and they will have to come into compliance or there will be fines.”
While Stark has been working directly with Lake Runnymeade management, she has also been working in Tallahassee to pass a bill to ensure protections for all Florida manufactured home owners and park owners, as well. House Bill 613 was signed by Governor DeSantis in April after being unanimously approved by both the House and Senate.
“Somebody has to make sure that these large corporations are held accountable and know that we’re paying attention,” Stark said. “And the mere fact that this bill went through those committees and the House floor and the Senate floor unanimously means this stuff is now on the radar. They now know there’s an issue. They may not know all the issues, but they know there are issues. They’re willing to stand up.” The law, which goes into effect July 1, provides processes for mediation between residents and owners. Stark said this is a shortened version [of mediation], where homeowners can file a petition to mediate and can pick their own mediator, if they want.
“Sometimes when you’re noticed what your rent is going to be, sometimes it takes a long time if you’re not going through a proper process or they drag their feet or whatever, either side. Then sometimes your rent increases before you even have the conversation. So, this kind of circumvents that a little bit and gives you a little more power to take care of that,” she said.
The new law also ensures that live-in health care aides can have ingress and egress to and from the mobile home owner’s site without additional charges.
“So many of our local parks have seniors in them,” Stark said. “Some of them, they’re in their last years, and their health is failing. With their health failing, they need live-in aides. Previously we had parks who were charging extra for those people to be with those residents to help take care of them through the last stages of their life. And so now they can no longer do that. It also protects the park owners, because [the aides] don’t have a right of tenancy once something happens to that resident.”
Stark said there are still issues to address on behalf of mobile home residents, but this is a good start.
“Now we have a floor,” she said. “And with that being on the floor, you have more power to talk about the other issues.”
