TAMPA, Fla. — Christina Ramos and her husband moved into the Lake Azzure apartment complex in Tampa two years ago and she says it has been a nightmare living with water and mold in her home that entire time.
“The only reason that we renewed is because we were both in school and I had a newborn and couldn’t find the time or afford another place,” Ramos said. “But if I could have moved out of here on day five, I would have because the issues started day one.”
Residents like Ramos have been living with this severe flooding since before Tropical Storm Debby came through the area. The waters recede some at times but then rise again every time it rains.
Residents are fed up, saying nothing has been done as their homes or cars continue to get water inside so they reached out to ABC Action News.
“Disgusted. Disgusted. Unheard. Everybody tries to complain, and nothing ever gets done,” she said. “As long as they are getting paid and the rent, it doesn’t matter.”
She is isn’t the only one who is tired of the lack of action from management.
“We can’t even get the office to answer their phones,” Ronald Dunham said. “They won’t talk to me. They won’t talk to anyone.”
The 77-year-old needs a walker to get around and said she can’t even get out to go see his doctors or pickup groceries because of the water.
Sabin Lyons was driving out on Friday morning, when the sun was out and flood waters had receded some.
“I’m very frustrated, of course you’re angry because nothing is being done,” Lyons said.
Onsite management came out while ABC Action News journalists were at Lake Azzure talking to residents, but they would not answer any questions or provide contact information for their corporate offices.
“When I asked her, ‘Can I speak to regional manager, she said, ‘Oh, I don’t have his number,’” Lyons recalled. “How do you not have his number?”
Online GoldElm, who runs the complex, described the Orlando-based company website as managing more than five thousand apartments across six states and focus “on providing quality, comfort, and safety to the residents of our communities.”
One resident shared screenshots of responses from Lake Azzure apartments on a Facebook post in which they said in Spanish, “Hello, thank you for bringing it to our attention. The reality of all this is the owners of the community are the ones that don’t want to spend a cent to clean the drain to avoid this from happening.”
In another message, someone using the Lake Azzure apartments page said, “Believe me, personally, I understand your situation, but the office can’t do anything when the owners get bothered when we talk about this case. The best you can do is call code enforcement and complain to the city, get a lawyer so can break the lease and find another community.”
ABC Action News reached out to the Director of Tampa’s Neighborhood Enhancement Division which oversees code enforcement, but have not gotten a response
“Kids are walking in this water,” Lyons said. “Kids, after they get out of school and they have to make sure they don’t get their clothes ruined.”
Dunham says he’s mad and wants to find an attorney willing to take this on and he has a message for management: “You are going to be in a big lawsuit because you have abandoned us.”
“You threw my son under the bus. You didn't take care of him.”
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