MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Tenants at one Miami Beach rental property are too afraid to speak on camera after they say they got intimidating emails from CIMCO Property Management threatening federal investigations for those who have not paid their rent.
One email said the building would report tenants who have received federal assistance and willfully not paid rent, saying they would be "investigated and reported to authorities."
State Senator Jason Pizzo questioned whether the warning was even legal. He looked into the issue after one neighbor reached out to him for help.
“They specifically mentioned IRS and SBA. A local management company does not have a relationship with the IRS, they are not an agent of the IRS or any federal agency,” Pizzo said. “Don’t ever send out an email to civilians threatening a federal investigation or referral ever again, especially if it’s not true or accurate.”
Another notice told neighbors that despite the governor’s executive order halting residential evictions due to COVID-19, landlords are still permitted to evict for other matters.
The company has also posted messages on Facebook saying tenants “got to pay your rent!! No excuses” as well as other posts with job openings for those who need help paying their rent.
Adi Gal with CIMCO says the landlords she works for need relief too.
“They’re people that work for their money. They took the little that they had they bought a property,” Gal said. “They pay their mortgage and they don’t have rent.”