Steven Green, once listed as one of New York City's 10 worst landlords, has most recently sold Woodland Pond.
By BRADY DENNIS, Times Staff Writer
Published June 15, 2006
TAMPA - Steven Green just keeps on selling.
The notorious real estate investor - once listed among New York City's 10 worst landlords and the record holder for the highest fines ever issued by Hillsborough County code enforcement - has spent recent months divesting himself of Tampa apartment complexes owned by his various companies.
According to Hillsborough County records, he recently made another sale - $15.3-million for the Woodland Pond apartments in the university area - bringing his total to at least 10 complexes and more than $140-million.
Green also appears poised to sell his five-bedroom, 6,990-square-foot Hyde Park mansion to prominent Tampa lawyer Barry Cohen for $4.2-million.
Like other properties Green's companies have owned over the years, Woodland Pond has seen its share of visits from code enforcement officers.
Since 2004, inspectors have documented a lengthy list of problems: an unsanitary swimming pool, rotting wood door frames, ceilings that collapsed because of leaking water, holes in walls, broken electrical fixtures, exposed wiring, leaky plumbing, loose handrails on stairs, missing roof shingles, peeling paint, broken windows, lack of fire extinguishers and inoperable smoke detectors.
A code enforcement employee said the apartment managers eventually rectified the violations and avoided fines from the county. Until this month, the property also had a lien placed on it by a New Jersey repair and maintenance company, which claimed the complex still owed $28,000 in unpaid bills.
The history of code violations at Woodland Pond comes as no surprise to Celeste Malone, a resident for 2½ years.
"We've just watched the complex fall apart," she said Tuesday, adding that some units have long sat vacant and uninhabitable.
What did surprise her was the news this week that the property had been sold to an investment group from Hialeah known as Group Developers LLC.
She's also heard rumors that the complex might become condos.
"They didn't give anybody any notice," Malone said. "It's really scary. I've got lots of concerns."
While Green has been scaling back his Tampa investments, he remains busy - and controversial - elsewhere. In Bronxville, N.Y., his proposal to renovate a former storage warehouse into an office building with four apartments has drawn criticism from locals.
Last year, Green's companies purchased a slew of apartment complexes in Clarksville, Tenn., and quickly angered contractors and suppliers, who said he didn't pay them for their work.
Several took out liens against his properties.
Juan Munoz, listed as the manager of the group that purchased Woodland Pond, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
