Historic home in Orlando goes up in flames amid legal battle; neighbors say it was site of ‘illegal’ parties
City records show owners of home in Lake Eola Heights owe more than $630K in unpaid code enforcement fines
ORLANDO, Fla. —
The historic home that went up in flames Saturday afternoon near Lake Eola is at the center of a legal battle with the City of Orlando.
“I came down the sidewalk, looked to the left, and the house was engulfed in flames,” Paul Stocksdale said.
Stocksdale is the president of the HOA for the Justin Place Condos that are located behind the nearly $1 million home at 611 E. Concord Street.
“It looked like it started in the back of the house because that’s where all the damage is,” Stocksdale said. “You can see it’s all burned out.”
Orlando firefighters and arson investigators were back at the home in Lake Eola Heights on Monday morning.
As the investigation into how the fire started continues, WESH 2 has learned the City filed a lawsuit last November to foreclose on the property because of unpaid code enforcement violations.
“I heard that they weren’t paying the fines,” Stocksdale said. “They were just racking up fines.”
Records from the City show the homeowners owe $632,750 as of Monday.
The City has accused the couple who own the home of improperly claiming a homestead property tax exemption in Orange County, while renting it out on Airbnb and hosting parties/concerts.
“The Property has become a nuisance and/or a hazardous condition, which presents a serious and continuous danger to the public and/or occupants of the Property,” the City’s complaint said.
Stocksdale and his neighbors have filed numerous complaints with the city, according to records obtained by Florida Politics.
“They lived here sometimes, and sometimes not,” Stocksdale said. “When they’re having the parties and stuff, they weren’t there. You know, they were doing Airbnbs in the beginning.”
Stocksdale said the situation has improved in the past year.
“They were having loud parties, but that kind of settled down,” he said.
Now he has questions about what caused the fire.
“Do you think this fire is suspicious?” WESH 2 asked Stocksdale.
“That’s what everybody was saying,” he replied.
A woman who was at the home meeting with an insurance adjuster declined to speak on camera with WESH 2. She had no comment about the fire or the pending foreclosure case.
An Orlando Fire spokesperson said it could take days, if not weeks, for investigators to determine what exactly sparked the house fire.