os-catalina-city-code-tour-20110329
A team of Orlando inspectors went door-to-door in the hardscrabble Catalina Isles condominiums this morning, finding squalid living conditions and hundreds of code violations.
Many residents of the west Orlando complex that fronts Interstate 4 were scornful of the place but worried that the city might condemn it and leave them homeless.
Mike Rhodes, the city's top code enforcement officer, said his department needed to assess the condition of the 89 units before deciding what to do next.
What the 11 inspectors found Tuesday was a crumbling collection of nine two-story buildings plagued by leaky pipes, roofs and windows. More than 20 of them were without power and several were boarded up because the city previously deemed them uninhabitable.
Many residents of the west Orlando complex that fronts Interstate 4 were scornful of the place but worried that the city might condemn it and leave them homeless.
Mike Rhodes, the city's top code enforcement officer, said his department needed to assess the condition of the 89 units before deciding what to do next.
What the 11 inspectors found Tuesday was a crumbling collection of nine two-story buildings plagued by leaky pipes, roofs and windows. More than 20 of them were without power and several were boarded up because the city previously deemed them uninhabitable.
Almost everyone living in Catalina Isles is poor and many are elderly, the seniors attracted by the previous owner through a complicated reverse-mortgage deal backed by the federal government. The community's problems were featured in an Orlando Sentinel report in December.
Carrie Heard, a 70-year-old cosmetologist, said she moved into the complex in 2008 and lived there about a year before she was forced to leave because her three-bedroom, two bath unit turned it into something resembling a swamp because of leaks.
The unit, the front door covered with plywood, is so dank the windows have turned green, the interior walls black with mold. Heard, now homeless, came back to Catalina Isles to talk to code enforcement officers.
She described her lifestyle as living "here, there and yonder, anywhere. It's a shame, I got no place to stay."
The former owner of Catalina Isles, Angel Lage of South Florida, has said he has no responsibility for the place because he does not have a financial stake in it any more. He said he lost money on Catalina Isles and owners such as Heard are responsible for repairs.
The complex is owned by a homeowners association that relies on maintenance fees paid and rent.
Orlando resident Hobie Fisher, who helped Avalon Lakes housing communities regain their solvency when many owners were not paying their fees, toured Catalina Isles several months ago and said he supported city efforts to assess the buildings. But he predicted it could be a complicated process because there so many different owners.
"I think it would be good for code enforcement to go in and detail problems and then give them some time to straighten them out," Fisher said. "I do think the community could be saved."
Mary Shanklin of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. dltracy@tribune.com or 407-420-5444.
Carrie Heard, a 70-year-old cosmetologist, said she moved into the complex in 2008 and lived there about a year before she was forced to leave because her three-bedroom, two bath unit turned it into something resembling a swamp because of leaks.
The unit, the front door covered with plywood, is so dank the windows have turned green, the interior walls black with mold. Heard, now homeless, came back to Catalina Isles to talk to code enforcement officers.
She described her lifestyle as living "here, there and yonder, anywhere. It's a shame, I got no place to stay."
The former owner of Catalina Isles, Angel Lage of South Florida, has said he has no responsibility for the place because he does not have a financial stake in it any more. He said he lost money on Catalina Isles and owners such as Heard are responsible for repairs.
The complex is owned by a homeowners association that relies on maintenance fees paid and rent.
Orlando resident Hobie Fisher, who helped Avalon Lakes housing communities regain their solvency when many owners were not paying their fees, toured Catalina Isles several months ago and said he supported city efforts to assess the buildings. But he predicted it could be a complicated process because there so many different owners.
"I think it would be good for code enforcement to go in and detail problems and then give them some time to straighten them out," Fisher said. "I do think the community could be saved."
Mary Shanklin of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. dltracy@tribune.com or 407-420-5444.
Story at http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-catalina-city-code-tour-20110329,0,2568613.story
Pictures and Videos there. Unable to upload due to site maintance.
Algae and plants are visible growing on the inside of a window of an abandoned unit at Catalina Isles, the dilapidated condo complex on L.B. McLeod Road, in Orlando, Tuesday, March 29, (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
Following information found on Google.Catalina Isle, Catalina Isle Apartments
2795 L B Mcleod Road
Orlando, FL 32805-5967
Orlando, FL Metro Area
I found listings in MLS for about $27,000
Sold Prices on MLS $9,500- $17,000
Andy Carson
Cell: 321-297-8089
APCarson@gmail.com
Cell: 321-297-8089
APCarson@gmail.com
EXIT REALTY CENTRAL
711 N. ORLANDO AVE, SUITE 302
MAITLAND, FL 32751
Office (407) 539-3948
Fax (407) 647-3948
Fax (407) 647-3948
Search the MLS at: www.AndyCarsonLaughs.com
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