Coral Lake Mobile Home Park
Coconut Creek Rezoning Threatens Homes
The Coral Lake Mobile Home Community is gone, but the fight isn't over to save your home.
If you own a mobile or manufactured home in Florida, your home
is at risk of being legally stolen by developers.
In 2001 the state of Florida made your home worth $1,375.00 per
title if a developer wants to buy the park and it doesn't matter
what you paid for it or what you were promised.
The excuse is the home being "mobile" which of course it isn't and
the offer to pay $3,000.00 per title toward moving the home to another
park. The problem is the $1,375.00 per title has caused a land rush on
mobile home parks so there is virtually no safe place to go.
The way things stand today, the choice is to buy the park and become
a resident owned community or to enlist the aid of the city to respect
the opinion of the Florida Attorney General the highest legal authority
in the state and deny all requests for rezoning the park because there
is no adequate, suitable, affordable housing at your current rates
within city limits. If your city isn't 100% clear on this, you are in
big trouble as the law that protects you (s723.083) has no enforcement
provision.
We're looking for quality feedback on two subjects.
1. If a mobile home park must be closed, what would be the absolute
best way to go about it. Length of time, assistance, payment, etc. Feedback
link is on the botton of every page, talk to us.
Here's what's suggested so far . . .
We the people, who own mobile homes and lease the land,
petition our elected officials to provide us with reasonable
property rights to protect our investment and preserve our
way of life.
Whereas, mobile homes are generally worth from $10,000.00
to $90,000.00 per title.
Whereas, the legislature has made all mobile homes worth
$1,375.00 per title to abandon the home when a mobile
home park closes irregardless of their fair market value or
chattel mortgage.
Whereas, the legislature has allocated $3,000.00 per title
toward mobile home relocation when a mobile home park
closes.
Whereas, the cost of relocation including appurtenances
such as carports, concrete and Florida rooms can exceed
$30,000.00
Whereas, the legislature has inadvertently caused a veritable
land rush of developers purchasing mobile home parks.
Whereas, the rapidly increasing value of land has created
windfall profits for mobile home park owners selling their
land out from under the mobile home owners they sold
homes to.
Whereas, no one buys a home without the expectation of
being able to live in it.
Whereas, the mobile home owners have a stake in the land
having been required to improve the mobile home park
owner's property with expensive concrete work that can not
be relocated.
Whereas, park owners, municipalities and counties have
begun ignoring the correct order of procedure in the closing
of a mobile home park.
Whereas, park owners have begun evicting mobile home
owners prior to requesting a s.723.083 determination and
rezoning.
Whereas, municipalities and counties have begun ignoring
the need to make a s.723.083 determination prior to rezoning,
prior to the park closing.
Whereas, the court system is an inadequate method of
enforcing s.723.083 after the mobile home park has been
closed.
Whereas, Florida's retail and service workers generally earn
between minimum wage and $10.00 per hour.
Whereas, mobile home parks serve a critical roll in providing
low income housing for these persons and the elderly at
generally half the cost of market rate rental housing once the
mobile home is paid for.
Whereas, the working poor happily houses themselves in
mobile home parks.
Whereas, the existing supply of low and very low income
workforce housing is in critical supply.
Whereas, mobile home parks have become established
neighborhood communities.
Whereas, mobile home parks have become virtually public
utilities whose clients cannot exist without them.
The above being true and correct. We the mobile home
owners of Florida petition our elected officials to change
s723.061(1)(d) to . . .
s.723.061(1)(d)
1. No mobile home park shall close prior to local government
completing a printed study to determine the availability of
sufficient adequate and suitable hurricane resistant housing
affordable to the mobile home owners of the closing mobile
home park park within the boundaries of the local governing
authority.
2. No mobile home park shall close if a sufficient quantity
of adequate and suitable hurricane resistant housing
affordable and available to the mobile home owners of the
mobile home park has not been determined to actually exist
for the mobile home owners to relocate to.
3. Once such a determination has been made a mobile
home park may close due to a change in the use of the
land comprising the mobile home park, or the portion
thereof from which mobile homes are to be evicted, from
mobile home lot rentals to some other use, provided all
tenants affected are given at least 1 year's notice of the
projected change of use and of their need to secure
other accommodations. The park owner may not give
a notice of increase in lot rental amount within 90 days
before giving notice of change of use. The park owner
shall:
4. Pay to the mobile home owner an amount equal to the
estimated cost of relocation and restoration of the
appurtenances within a 50 mile radius. Or:
5. Purchase the mobile home and all appurtenances for
local fair market value in a comparable non closing park.
Values to be determined as follows:
6. Values to be determined by a mutually agreed upon
appraiser using local real-estate listings and publications
in conjunction with nationally recognized publications for
the purpose.
7. Either the mobile home owner or the park owner may
apply to the circuit court in the county where the mobile
home lot is located for purposes of selecting an appraiser
to determine the value of the mobile home and appurtenances
or for resolution of any other dispute arising under this
subsection.
8. The provision of s.723.083 shall not be applicable to
any park where the provisions of this subsection have
been applied.
The above changes eliminate the conflict with s.723.031(4)
and s.723.083 and the need for s.723.0611, s.723.06115,
s.723.06116 and s.723.0612, protecting the investment of
mobile home owners while recognizing the right of mobile
home park owners to cease operating their mobile home
park with reasonable notice.
Thousands of your constituents live in fear of losing their
homes for a paltry $1,375.00 per title regardless of what
they paid or still owe on the mortgage. We need your help.
The State of Florida shall guarantee loans for the purchase
of mobile home parks by their Home Owner's Association.
The State of Florida shall act to make insurance affordable
and available to Mobile Home Owner Associations for resident
owned mobile home parks.
Please copy the above and suggest it to your Florida
Representative and Senator The Honorable . . .:
Old site remains for information and resources.
If you own a mobile or manufactured home within the boundaries of
the city of Coconut Creek, your home is in danger.
The city of Coconut Creek has written your park out of their
Comprehensive Plan for the future. Their goal is no mobile home parks
within city limits. This means your park will have to go !!!
First on their list is Coral Lake MHP, 4701 Lyons Road, Coconut
Creek, Florida 33073.
Despite being here first in our area since 1974 the Coral Lake Park
is under attack by code enforcement for the single purpose of building up
fines to the point where the city can threaten foreclosure forcing
the park owner to sell to any developer who will redevelop the park into
an acceptable townhouse community for Coconut Creek.
Our Mission:
A two year moratorium on mobile home park redevelopment.
All mobile home parks included in the Comprehensive Plan.
All mobile homes added to the HUD affordable housing inventory.
All mobile homes to have commercial land lease state protection.
To have all code enforcement fines against Coral Lake dropped.
Fair market value to be paid for change of land use eviction.
What's it all about: Florida law fails to protect
mobile home park residents who own their homes and lease
the land. Where once we were assured fair market value when
the use of the land was to change, we are now offered pennies
on the dollar to abandon our homes to the bulldozers.
What about the fines: We own our homes and lease
the land. The park has wrongly assumed liability for home
owner fines it is not responsible for and as a result we are
losing our homes. The fines need to be dropped and the park
reinspected and any fines applied to the owners of the items
in violation. We have an Attorney General's legal opinion on the tax sticker fines,
they are not the park's problem for the law Florida Statute 193.075
does not require
a sticker as sticker-less mobile homes automatically become
"tangible property" and are taxed as such.
What can be done about it: Local mobile home owners
need to let the city of Coconut Creek know we expect them to
fix their mistake and protect their citizens not take advantage
of them when it comes to developers wanting to destroy our homes.
What's in it for you: Our goal is to save our homes
and to put a stop to this nonsense. We paid for our homes and
should enjoy the right to live in them like any other honest
citizen in this city. If we fail you are next on the chopping
block.
What about the Governor: Letters have gone out
to all locally elected officials, representatives and governor Jeb Bush,
asking for help, only form letters have come back with a few
replies that leave the reader wondering if they read any of what
we wrote. "i.e.: Our city is extorting our landowner into destroying
our homes please help us." reply: "You need to discuss this matter
with your city officials, we will soon reply to your request for
relocation information. (a request we didn't make)"
What about relocation: Relocation is expensive. Most
mobile homes that have settled look like they've been through
an earthquake when moved not to mention the cost of storage and
living expenses while the house is moved. The state fund pays
less then half the cost of moving a mobile home if it can be
moved successfully at all.
Can we fight city hall: This isn't a battle, it's
about doing the right thing for the citizens of Coconut Creek.
We live here, work here, children attend school here, this is
home only they've mistakenly written us out of the comprehensive
plan as unwelcome guests in their city.
How can I help: Take a few minutes to write or send an
email to your elected officials letting them know your concerns
about the land being sold out from under you and demand they
protect you from such abuse. Ask the City of Coconut Creek
Commissioners to protect the mobile homes at Coral Lake.
What about the FMO: The Federation of Mobile Home Owners
is the only voice speaking for mobile home owners the state listens
to. Join the FMO. Ask
your neighbors to join the FMO.,
If they can't afford the minimal cost offer to pay for their membership.
The more FMO members the
louder our voice in Talahassee. Do it today.
Why don't you buy the park: No money, no HOA Home
Owners Association, that opportunity has flown and besides
the same fines would fall on our heads if we owned the park.
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