We are a Florida mobile home park facing mass eviction for change of land use. The park is roughly thirty years old, 230 slots, we own our homes and lease the land. Up front, this is a poorer family park most residents making year round homes out of what were once mostly seasonal, but no fishing trailers or RV's all traditional single and double wides with good hard working people no crime or blight problems apparent to the residents.
After ignoring the park for roughly 30 years we were hit by code enforcement writing over 1,500 warnings of code violation. Of these 199 became violations, becoming fines, becoming $474,000.00 in liens against the park owner. The city threatened the park owner with foreclosure and immediately after the park owner sold to one of the developers sent by the city to solicit him. Actually the park owner entered into a contract to sell the park after rezoning and clearing the park of residents.
Since then, we've learned more then half the amount of the fine/liens are based on a fine that can't exist and shouldn't have been applied to the park owner. Missing tax stickers which is not a fineable offence (s193.075)(AGO 75-42) because a mobile home without a tax sticker is automatically supposed to be entered on the tax rolls as personal tangible property. Not only did these mendacious fines help force the sale, we were prevented from protesting them because they were applied to the park owner. We feel we are third party victims of extortion. When we pointed this out we were told it was too late to appeal and the park owner had already stipulated to the fines.
We will of course fight the rezoning and expect to be ignored. We are unable to buy the park, form a homeowners association or hire an attorney in part due to money and due to being an eclectic mix of languages and social types without leadership or persons willing to be lead.
Is there any way to save the park? Is there any way to get more then the state required minimum stipend from the owner for abandoning the trailers?
Is there anyway to make the city eminent domain responsible for paying us due to their strong arm tactics?
We have a web site http://www.corallakemhp.com
Thank you
After ignoring the park for roughly 30 years we were hit by code enforcement writing over 1,500 warnings of code violation. Of these 199 became violations, becoming fines, becoming $474,000.00 in liens against the park owner. The city threatened the park owner with foreclosure and immediately after the park owner sold to one of the developers sent by the city to solicit him. Actually the park owner entered into a contract to sell the park after rezoning and clearing the park of residents.
Since then, we've learned more then half the amount of the fine/liens are based on a fine that can't exist and shouldn't have been applied to the park owner. Missing tax stickers which is not a fineable offence (s193.075)(AGO 75-42) because a mobile home without a tax sticker is automatically supposed to be entered on the tax rolls as personal tangible property. Not only did these mendacious fines help force the sale, we were prevented from protesting them because they were applied to the park owner. We feel we are third party victims of extortion. When we pointed this out we were told it was too late to appeal and the park owner had already stipulated to the fines.
We will of course fight the rezoning and expect to be ignored. We are unable to buy the park, form a homeowners association or hire an attorney in part due to money and due to being an eclectic mix of languages and social types without leadership or persons willing to be lead.
Is there any way to save the park? Is there any way to get more then the state required minimum stipend from the owner for abandoning the trailers?
Is there anyway to make the city eminent domain responsible for paying us due to their strong arm tactics?
We have a web site http://www.corallakemhp.com
Thank you