Renters ordered out of complex

Wretched conditions at a Tampa apartment complex force authorities to order residents to vacate within seven days.

By DONG-PHUONG NGUYEN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 27, 2002

Clarification In a series of articles published in the St. Petersburg Times, certain apartment complexes, including Amberwood Apartments, were identified as being owned by Steven S. Green, personally. However, these properties are or were owned solely by corporations in which Mr. Green is a shareholder, and were not owned by Mr. Green, personally.

TAMPA -- A worried Donald Willis began packing up his two-bedroom apartment Friday, piling boxes in the middle of his living room.

With nowhere to go, the 25-year-old father of two just knew that he had to be out.

"I'm kinda scared for my kids," Willis said. "It's sad."

Willis was one of more than 150 Amberwood Apartment residents who came home to neon green notices on their doors Thursday evening, notifying them that they had seven days to vacate their units on Oak Rose Lane because of wretched conditions.

Among the problems: no working fire alarm system, walls falling apart, deteriorating patio decks, a ceiling stained with urine, an infestation of cockroaches and wiring jutting from walls.

The Fire Marshal's Office issued the notice because of the defective fire alarm system. It is the first time such a notice has been issued to an apartment complex this large.

"The conditions are deplorable," said Ray Yeakley, spokesman for Hillsborough County Fire Rescue. "It's a health hazard and a quality of life issue."

Records list Steven Green as the owner of Amberwood Apartments. Green owns six other complexes locally.

He could not be reached for comment Friday.

The problems at Amberwood came to the attention of authorities on Tuesday, when a resident complained to the fire department about sparks coming from an electrical outlet. Fire officials investigating the outlet soon noticed the other problems.

The fire marshal gave apartment managers 24 hours to install a working alarm system. The system had been disconnected because of nonpayment, Yeakley said.

Apartment officials contacted Piper Fire Protection of Largo, which asked for 60 percent of the payment up front before it would install the system.

The check bounced, Yeakley said.

That's when the notices went up.

A person who answered the telephone Friday at the Amberwood Apartments refused to give her name. She said only that "all the problems are going to be taken care of. As we speak, we have somebody fixing our fire alarms."

Yeakley said that even if the alarm system is set up within the seven-day time limit, the uninhabitable conditions remain.

It will be up to Code Enforcement officials to step in, Yeakley said.

Jim Blinck, field supervisor for the Community Improvement Department, said officials from various city and county departments plan to meet soon to explore the options.

The residents, meanwhile, will be able to seek assistance from the University Community Resource Center.

Green ran apartments in the state of New York but skipped out after piling up code violations that totaled $2.3-million, Yeakley said.

According to property records, he lives in South Tampa in a $1.4-million home.

-- Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

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