Hundreds of people living at a South Florida mobile home park will have to find somewhere else to stay after letters were posted on their doors Tuesday saying they have to move out by May.
Tenants told NBC6 Tuesday the notices caught them by surprise.
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“It's not okay to be throwing us out for more buildings,” Daniel Rosabal said.
“I don't know what's going to happen,” Lucy Deahora said. “I'm by myself, I'm alone, I don't have anybody.”
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The notices went up at Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park in Sweetwater saying tenants have until May 19, 2025 to find somewhere else to live.
The closure of Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park, which includes 900 mobile homes, is part of a broader community development plan. The future community would feature affordable and workforce housing, along with a K-12 school, a healthcare facility, a community center and a park.
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A letter to homeowners said 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.
“What is this not good enough, low income is not good enough for them, where are we going to go,” David Rosabal said.
Rosabal and his family have lived at the park for more than 20 years.
“What are we going to do?" Rosabal said. “The best we can do is live in a van, save up what we can, and do what you can to live.”
On Tuesday night, dozens of homeowners stood outside the mobile home park to express their frustration and concerns. The crowd was large enough to bring out Sweetwater Police.
However, the park's owner said they will help tenants relocate and provide financial assistance, including up to $14,000 for anyone who leaves by Jan. 31.
But for many homeowners, that's not enough to leave a place they call home.
“14,000? Where's that going to get us? Nowhere,” Rosabal said.
The payment decreases the later the tenants vacate – $7,000 will be offered to tenants who leave by March 31, and $3,000 for an April 30 deadline.
"As Mayor of the City of Sweetwater, I want to express my deep concern regarding a recent notice received by the residents of Li'l Abner Mobile Homes, informing them of the need to vacate within six months," Sweetwater Mayor Jose Pepe Diaz said in a statement. "It is understandable that this letter, which arrived without prior warning as we approach the holiday season, has left many families worried. My administration and the city commissioners are diligently exploring all available resources as we continue to support our community through these challenging and transitional times."
Diaz says though there were rumors for years the land would eventually be sold, the timing was as much of a shock to city leaders.
"We're looking to see where we could get the funding, how we could get funding, what do they have secure, what are they actually going to give the people?" Diaz told NBC6.
Until tenants vacate, they are still responsible for paying their monthly rent.
