(WSVN) – They had been instructed they’ve lower than three months to pack up and depart the RV parks they’ve referred to as home for years. But for most of the residents, simply driving off shouldn’t be an choice. Here’s Kevin Ozebek with tonight’s 7 Investigates.
Their favourite function is the view.
Erik Gagnon: “We had to especially find this camper for the windows.”
Erik Gagnon and his fiancée Tracey Stokes have their trailer parked proper on the Gulf of Mexico.
Since 2018 they’ve lived contained in the Sun Outdoors Key Largo group.
Kevin Ozebek: “Do you love it here in this community?”
Erik Gagnon: “Yes.”
Tracey Stokes: “Yes”.
Eric Gagnon: “We did.”
Tracey Stokes: “We did.”
The change of coronary heart got here on Oct. 5, after they bought this letter saying, “This is a termination notice of your month to month RV agreement beginning January 1, 2023. All personal belongings will need to be removed. This removal will be at the owner’s (your) expense.”
Tracey Stokes: “Heartbreaking, because we’ve made a home here.”
Erik Gagnon: “We’re scrambling.”
Some residents of the Sun Outdoors Marathon group acquired comparable letters, like snowbird Clara Bader, who’s in Upstate New York.
Clara Bader: “So it’s not like we can take our places and go.”
Clara purchased her winter home in 2018. It got here with this Florida room constructed off the trailer.
So, regardless of being what many individuals would name a mobile home, Clara says it isn’t mobile in any respect.
Clara Bader: “I called the manager of Sun in Marathon, and he said that what they would do is they would pay for my trailer to be demolished. They would pay for moving expenses.”
Clara’s neighbor, Adam Denny, owns this trailer. He, too, has a Florida room addition.
Adam spoke to us from his second home in North Carolina.
Adam Denny “It’s certainly not a movable object. These places have been there for decades. Tires haven’t touched the ground in decades.”
Because many in mobile houses personal the home however not the lot, there’s a Florida legislation that makes lot evictions fairly robust, however that legislation could not apply right here.
One cause being that each Sun Outdoor communities are zoned not as mobile home parks, however as RV parks.
Clara Bader: “It may not be illegal, but it’s definitely morally wrong.”
But right here’s the place the story takes a flip.
When we requested Sun Outdoors in regards to the letters, they instructed us, “We reached out to all our RV resort guests, and all are welcome to stay for as long as they like, which has always been the case. We are simply updating our reservation structure.”
Though simply days in the past, Adam and Clara had been supplied not simply transferring bills, however an additional $3,250 and extra price in the event that they depart by mid-December. Sun Outdoors additionally supplied to soak up demolition prices.
As of now, they haven’t accepted the supply.
Clara Bader: “It’s just – it’s really unfair.”
Erik and Tracey had been later instructed they may keep, however must pay tons of extra a month.
Tracey Stokes: “So, yeah, we’re basically going to have to leave the Keys.”
Their home is on good, working wheels.
So with actual property costs in the Keys surging, they’ve stated goodbye to this patch of paradise and left for Texas.
Kevin Ozebek, 7News.
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