Tenants of Holly Court apartments in North Tampa protested against the ongoing mass eviction and demanded that serious infrastructure issues in the complex be fixed yesterday.
On December 31, many tenants received 30-day eviction notices stating they had to move out by the end of January. Some have already fled the property for fear of eviction on their registry, but some tenants have chosen to stay and fight.
On Thursday evening, about 30 people gathered to protest the evictions. Some were residents of Holly Court, including children, and others were with the Tampa Tenants Union, which is standing with residents to demand that the complex’s owners make immediate changes. Several new domestic outlets were also introduced.
Tenants demanded to stay in the complex.
“I’m not going anywhere, how about you?” a request from Ernst Nelson to his fellow residents; He has been one of the most vocal tenants regarding evictions. His question was met with a round of cheers and people assured that they weren’t going anywhere. In Holly Court, the rent is currently $650 for a one-bedroom apartment. With rents up 24% overall across the Bay Area last year, there’s nowhere else in Tampa they can afford.
Tenants indicated that the property managers, Palm Communities LLC, did not mention relocation costs, or guarantee a return of a security deposit to tenants. They claimed the company said it would shut off the water on January 31, whether or not people left the property.
The tenants also demanded that the company repair the dirty water wells used by the property, which had been contaminated with dirt for months. Tenants are forced to buy bottled water. They also cited other structural problems such as electrical problems, exposed electrical wiring in homes with children, and mold.
A tenant named Shakila Broughton took CL photographer Dave Decker inside her apartment to take pictures. Inside, dangerous black mold covered many of the apartment’s surfaces, including where she keeps some supplies for her children. One of the kitchen drawers had collapsed, and the stove had a completely broken handle. The casting of its base was divided into two parts. She told Decker that there was no response to her requests for service from the property management company.
The company was opposed to the media and regulators from the tenant association entering the property. The complex is gated in black and surrounded by 24 hour a day surveillance cameras by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Some residents said that the place looked like a prison.
One of the tenants who spoke said the protest was great, but they need people to pressure local officials to hold the Nakheel communities accountable and give them a fair chance to stay in the housing.
“Let them know they can’t just push us out that way,” she said.
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