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Residents want mobile home park

Amid rumors of condos and development, a landowner says he is getting old and giving in to residents' longtime desires to own their land.

By SHANNON TAN
Published October 1, 2005

LARGO - The residents of Ranchero Village mobile home park want to own their park - as long as the price is right.

They just don't know how much it's going to cost.

About two weeks ago, residents found out that the owners of the park were giving them an opportunity to purchase the land under their 945 mobile homes.

Rumors started flying. Different sale prices were tossed around.

"Everybody is in a panic," said Don Hazelton, president of the Federation of Manufactured Home Owners of Florida. "Never did I think this (the sale) was going to happen."

Residents will meet today with Florida Community Services Group, which offers consulting services to mobile home residents interested in buying their parks, to learn more about the purchase process.

Park owners are required by law to give homeowners 45 days to buy their park, but only if the owners put the park up for sale.

One of the park owners, Herbert Kendall, said Friday that residents have been trying for years to acquire the park at 7100 Ulmerton Road.

"We're finally ceding to it because they've been so patient," said Kendall, an ex-builder who lives in California.

"I hate to do it, but we're far along in age," he said, and can't keep the park forever.

Tim Newby, president of Newby Management in Ellenton, which has managed the park for 28 years, says the owners have not received any formal offers from developers. He disputes rumors that the park owners are trying to sell the property to build condominiums.

"They have offered (Ranchero Village) to the residents, and the residents are starting the process to acquire their community," Newby said. "We're going to do everything in our power to help them."

Marty Pozgay, president of Florida Community Services Group, said he's been talking to park residents about acquiring their park for the past decade.

But the news still came as a surprise to resident Steve Posgai, 84.

He bought his double-wide 23 years ago for $48,000 and pays $462 a month to rent the lot under his home.

Posgai, who lives on Social Security and a small pension, went to the bank Friday to see how much in savings he had. He'll buy into the park, he said, "if it's the right price."

As a group of residents sunned themselves by the pool Friday, they talk about how much they love the park.

The 126.2-acre park, which was built in 1971, is assessed at nearly $27.9-million for tax purposes. It features three pools, three activity centers, four tennis courts, a billiards room, shuffleboard courts and a sauna.

And a close-knit community.

"Everybody that's here comes from someplace else," said Fran Collins, 72. "They become your family, because your family is somewhere else."

If your newspaper sits in the driveway for too long, a neighbor will knock on your door or call to make sure everything's okay. The park bus ferries residents to doctors appointments, the grocery store and the mall. Residents can take their pick from a variety of activities such as bowling, bingo and dances.

That's why Collins, who's lived in the park for 17 years, doesn't want to leave.

"We're anxious at this point," she said.

When Ira Schwab, 63, retired, he had to choose between a condominium or a mobile home. He picked the mobile home.

He knows that many of the mobile homes in the park are too old to be moved. Few parks accept homes that aren't pretty new. And developers are gobbling up parks all over the state to build townhomes and condominiums.

Like many residents, he can't make a decision until he knows how much money he has to come up with.

"We're dealing with the unknown," Schwab said.

Some residents have already started putting their homes up for sale, Collins said.

Several residents in the 55-plus community barely manage to foot the monthly lot rent. What are they going to do?

Hazelton says the redevelopment of parks in Florida has gotten out of hand.

"This is going to be an everyday happening now," he said. "You can't stop someone from selling the property."

--Shannon Tan can be reached at shtan@sptimes.com or 445-4174.

[Last modified October 1, 2005, 01:45:17]