Pinellas County pushes deadline for residents of mobile home park told to leave

Pinellas County has given residents of a frequently flooded mobile home park an extra year to elevate their homes to nearly 11 feet.

County officials had previously told homeowners at the Twin City park in the Gandy area they would have to complete the work or leave by the start of the hurricane season on June 1. Last month, the county sent Twin City residents a letter extending their temporary occupancy until June 1 of next year.

Tom Almonte, assistant county administrator for Pinellas, said staff chose to delay the deadline after communication between the county and the park’s management company broke down.

“They have been silent. I have made several requests,” Almonte said. “They have gone completely dark.”

Almonte said he hopes to plan a meeting with residents to discuss solutions to flooding and the county’s orders. But without cooperation from park managers, their hands are tied.

Staff had previously been in contact with Twin City park management and worked alongside the park’s owners to coordinate an October outreach event.

Almonte last heard from park owners in April, when they agreed to host a second community sit-down with residents and county officials. But he said that meeting has yet to be scheduled and park representatives haven’t answered several emails he sent them.

Multiple calls and emails from a Tampa Bay Times reporter to representatives for the mobile home park owners, Lakeshore MHC, have gone unanswered since October.

“We are committed to supporting the residents of Twin City, but as a privately owned property, we need the collaboration of the ownership to move forward,” Almonte said. ”I’m hoping that they have a sense of community commitment, where they do the right thing and sit down with the county so we can begin conversation about what can be done.”

In the meantime, Almonte said the county has started looking for solutions and grant money to help relocate residents. One idea mentioned is what Almonte called a “takedown”: When residents move out of their homes, the county would work with park owners to demolish the vacated structures.

But residents in the low-income community say they haven’t left yet because they have nowhere to go.

“We don’t want to penalize residents. Our intent is not to come in with code enforcement where now the residents are homeless,” Almonte said. “They’re not living in there because they have many options. They’re living in there because it’s one of the very few options that they have.”

Erin Roth, a longtime Twin City resident, characterized park managers as “slumlords.” She said she isn’t surprised to hear that Lakeshore representatives aren’t returning messages from Pinellas County since they don’t return her calls either.

“They probably won’t invite (the county) back in here,” she said. ”They don’t answer the phone for anybody, really.”

Roth staked a for sale sign in her front yard, but hasn’t received any serious offers yet. She’s asking $40,000 for her recently repaired home — Roth spent $26,000 of FEMA money after Hurricane Idalia pushed floodwaters inside.

She has had few showings since. As soon as Roth discloses the park’s frequent flooding issue, it scares off prospective buyers.

“Their eyes get wide and it’s like, ‘Oh, never mind,’” she said. “And they leave.”

Roth said she’s worried about braving another hurricane season in her mobile home, but doesn’t want to force her daughter and their two dogs into a cramped motel room.

“I can’t stay here — can’t do it,” she said. “Because the next time water gets in, I can’t afford to fix it.”