SWEETWATER, Fla. – Residents of the sprawling Li’l Abner Mobile Home Park in Sweetwater became outraged after receiving a letter ordering them to move out by May 19 as the park closes for redevelopment.
That led them to protest Tuesday evening. They held a second day of protests on Wednesday evening.
According to real estate website MHVillage, Li’l Abner was built in 1968 and contains more than 900 lots. It’s located between Flagler and Northwest Seventh streets.
People living there said they were caught off guard.
“My mom started crying a lot because we don’t have the money to go out to another place and we weren’t expecting it -- at least not until I finished college,” resident Orelvis Gonzalez said. “But now it’s like, plans got ruined and we have to go. It’s like we don’t know what to do.”
Residents new and old are now having to find a new place to call home.
Kevin Fumero, who lives in a multigenerational household at the park, said “it’s an outrage what’s going on here. These people, these are families.”
“We’ve been here over 30 years,” he said.
Maxx Maler, a plumber, said he moved to the park six months ago and now feels blindsided.
“This had to have been in the works for at least a year and a half,” Maler said.
In a statement, the owners of the park said they are giving residents a “comprehensive relocation assistance package” that “includes significant resources and personalized support to help tenants navigate the transition that goes far beyond what Florida law requires for mobile home park closures, including up to $14,000 in addition to the legally mandated amounts.”
The park’s owners said they are providing a dedicated team to help residents relocate, including comparable mobile home parks and assistance locating affordable rentals elsewhere in Miami-Dade.
The owners said the closure is part of a “broader community redevelopment 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, among other uses,” a spokesperson said in an email.
“We understand the challenges that come with relocating, whether tenants are moving to another mobile home park or transitioning to brick-and-mortar housing,” Matt Rosenbaum, president of The Urban Group, said in a statement. “Our commitment is to provide substantial financial assistance and hands-on support through a team of relocation experts to help tenants through each step. We’re here to listen to their needs and offer practical help, ensuring they have resources to make this transition as smooth as possible.”
Many homes in the park for decades have been remodeled in a way that prevents relocation. Any older than 1976 cannot be moved per Florida law.
“I bought mine for $120,000 and now I’m in debt for the next four years,” Maler said. “And I’ll be paying it off for nothing if they demolish this.”
Fumero said six months is “not enough time in Miami” and the money offered isn’t enough either.
Sweetwater Mayor Jose “Pepe” Diaz says this is the perfect negative storm to happen.
Diaz says he had no prior knowledge of the park’s pending sale and no plans have been submitted to the city. But he says he’ll leverage his relationship with the park’s owners to try and help residents.
“This is the perfect negative storm to happen,” the mayor said.
Nearly a third of U.S. mobile home parks have been bought by institutional investors since 2015, often putting residents in a bind.
Residents often have a hard time leaving.