CLEARWATER, Fla. — Earlier this month, we told you the elevator inside Building 9 of On Top of the World Clearwater was back up and running after five months of not working. The elevator in the senior condo went down in late January.
However, elevator issues continue in other buildings, like Building 7.
Maria Avdelas lives on the third floor. She said it feels like a prison sentence sometimes.
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“My frustration is that I can't get off house arrest here. I’m in my apartment. I cannot count on the elevator to take me downstairs," she said.
Avdelas is in a wheelchair. When the elevator is down, her options are extremely limited.
"I was so upset on Friday. I had to go get blood work that was crucial to what my doctor needed that specific day; they told me to come in at nine in the morning, give that blood work so they could have that blood work by my afternoon appointment," she recalled. "I couldn't be there at nine o'clock. I waited. I was hoping they would have the elevator fixed by then. Finally, at 11 o'clock, I had the fire department help me."
Her concerns echo a broader discontent among residents throughout the buildings on the property.
“There are many buildings down. Some stay down for longer periods of time,” Maria said. “This is unacceptable.”
Van Farber, another condo owner, says he's had his own scary run-in.
“I got stuck in the elevator last week,” they said. “It locked on the second floor. The emergency buttons didn’t work. I thought my only way out was to bang on the door, hoping someone heard me.”
He says he tried to escape and the door ended up cutting him on the hand.
At 80 years old, Farber knows all too well how a malfunctioning elevator can threaten health and well-being.
“Every time you go in the elevator, it has a continuing, long-term effect—psychological,” they shared. “It makes you leery about wanting to participate in activities at the clubhouse, and it affects your health.”
Farber is the President of the Pinellas County Senior Caucus, explained the drastic consequences these outages can cause. He says one of the first papers taped to the elevator about the outage advised seniors against calling 9-1-1.
"I started to look into it, and I checked with attorneys who offer seniors pro bono service, and they told me no," Farber said.
He said the attorneys connected him with someone who said that would be a violation of their rights.
The condo owners say they're not backing down. They plan to do all that they can to ensure the elevators are safe and trustworthy.
For now, Building 7's elevator remains out of service, with no set date for when it'll work again.
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