TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — For the second time in a week, students expecting to move into the new Perla apartment complex in Tallahassee were told they still cannot move in, forcing some to pack up again and check out of hotels instead of unpacking in their new units.
This morning, instead of unpacking at Perla, students were checking out of their hotels.
FSU student Cooper Wherley said residents felt they were repeatedly led to believe the building was nearly ready. “They’ve been talking a lot about they’re getting ready, they’re almost ready, they’ve kind of been streaming us along, and then this is now two weeks in a row that at the last minute they’re saying, Now we’re not ready,” Wherley said.
The move-in delay began one week ago. Last Friday, families learned just hours before move-in that the building was not ready. Parent Rosie Roy said the lack of notice left families scrambling after traveling to Tallahassee. “We had no notice. We drove six and a half hours up here thinking we were going to move in. We wouldn’t have come up if we knew,” Roy said.
Students were placed in hotels and told they could move into Perla today. But at 4:42 Thursday afternoon — less than 24 hours before move-in — residents received another email saying the move-in was being pushed back again.
Perla said in the email: “Due to continued delays with construction, the inspection and final approval of the building, your move-in is moved back and we are working to assign the updated move in date. Our goal is to move all residents into Perla next week. We sincerely apologize that we are having to extend the timeline once again and understand how frustrating and disruptive this continued uncertainty has been.”
Residents had to leave their hotels by 11 this morning, with some being sent five to 10 miles from campus for the next two nights. The latest delay comes one day before FSU’s first home football game. Perla would put residents about a 10-minute walk from Doak Campbell Stadium.
FSU student Octavius Palmer said the timing and distance from campus are major concerns. “I think for us the bigger things that, because of the game, we have a week zero game, we’re gonna be shipped off, kind of, pretty far from campus. The Uber credits that they’re getting just don’t really cover their expenses, getting their back,” Palmer said.
Perla said residents will receive a $30-a-day Uber credit, a $50-a-day food allowance and a 100% daily rent credit. The email also said moving assistance will not be provided.
Wherley said residents are still worried about being charged rent while they cannot live in the building. “I mean, we’re getting charged for August rent, and we’re not gonna see Perla until probably the middle of September, so I mean, we’d really like if that was comped, among other things, so we’re not doing nothing, but they could definitely be doing more,” he said.
Perla said its goal is to move all residents in next week, but an exact move-in date has not been announced.