Emotions ran high Wednesday night as hundreds of people living at a South Florida mobile home park are trying to figure out where they're going to live in six months.
Letters were posted on their doors this week saying they have to move out by May.
This week, people living at Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park in Sweetwater learned they have until May 2025 to find somewhere else to live. For the second night in a row, they voiced their concerns and demanded answers outside the park.
Sergio Zamora lives with his wife and in-laws, who've lived at the park for more than 30 years.
The Hurricane season is on. Our meteorologists are ready. Sign up for the NBC 6 Weather newsletter to get the latest forecast in your inbox.
“They paid off the house to be told you don't have a place to live anymore,” Zamora said. “Imagine saying you own a property and someone tells you don't.”
There are plans to close the park, which includes 900 mobile homes, and develop a new community with affordable and workforce housing and a school.
Local
The park's owner says they'll help tenants relocate and provide financial assistance, including up to $14,000 for anyone who leaves by Jan. 31, but that number decreases as the deadline approaches.
A letter to homeowners says the park owner is offering an incentive package that goes beyond what Florida law requires. The package is offered through the management agent, the Urban Group.
“It's the holidays so that's not really a thing that seems possible for most of these people,” Zamora said. “$14,000 is not a down payment for anything.”
Many tenants wanted to head over to city hall Wednesday to speak with the mayor or city commissioners, but the mayor and city commissioners came to them Wednesday night.
Sweetwater's mayor told tenants Wednesday they're searching for solutions. Many like Zamora say they need more money and more time.
“We need more just to be able to leave,” Zamora said. “The incentive is not enough, not for most of these people.”
Sweetwater’s mayor told NBC6 the notices came as a surprise to him. He went on to say he's had conversations with the mayor of Miami-Dade County, the county commissioner for this district and they're working on finding solutions for tenants.
The mayor says he plans to speak with the owner of the trailer park to see if the tenants can get more time.
