The long-deteriorating Tymber Skan on the Lake condominiums, where just eight of the 49 buildings are still standing, the others replaced by unkempt, trash-filled lots, should be sold and its remaining residents found other homes, Orange County commissioners decided last week.
The county, which because of previous problems at the complex owns dozens of units in Tymber Skan, now will begin a long process to dissolve the condominiums’ multiple homeowners groups and petition a court to name a “termination trustee,” who could authorize its sale.
The board discussed the possibility last month and Tuesday voted unanimously to proceed.
That could eventually lead to demolition of remaining buildings and redevelopment of the site off South Texas Avenue.
“We’re ready to go,” said Tymber Skan resident Cynthia Claytor, speaking at Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting.
Claytor, 72, who bought her tidy place about a decade ago, said she was speaking for herself and a fellow retiree, both of whom had previously shunned advice to leave the complex built 50 years ago and formerly marketed as “luxury” living for young professionals.
“We’re old enough and smart enough to know sometimes you just got to say, ‘Hey, we’re done.’ That’s where we’re at now.”
Efforts to reverse years of decay and neglect have repeatedly failed, she agreed.
“We’ve become a dumping ground,” she said. “People come from the outside continually and dump, party and do other things, making it very uncomfortable to live here anymore.”
One squatter even took up residence in a guard shack at the entrance to the complex.
The county pledged to aid residents caught in “precarious situations” find new homes through its Citizen Resource and Outreach Division.
Orange County sees the end for deteriorating Tymber Skan condos
“For more than two decades, the Tymber Skan community has experienced a steady decline despite the county’s investment of more than $3.5 million in stabilization efforts,” Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said. “That is far above any ownership groups have invested in that same property.”
Much of the money funded demolitions of decaying units. The county also forgave nearly $50,000 in unpaid water bills.
Demings, a former Orange County sheriff and Orlando police chief, said the action was necessary. “The property is unsafe and presents a danger to those who live there,” he said. “We are committed to assisting the existing residents with resources for a smooth transition.”
According to the measure adopted by commissioners, the board found “the continued operation of Tymber Skan under its existing condominium form of ownership is no longer practical, equitable, or safe, and that seeking judicial termination and related relief is in the best interests of Orange County and serves the health, safety, and welfare of residents, neighboring properties, and the public.”
Residents have reported shootings and say squatters sometimes occupy units without electricity or running water.
Commissioner Mike Scott, whose district includes Tymber Skan, said he held a public meeting for the community’s residents and property owners as a run-up to the board vote and went “by myself” to every door in the community to inform them of the board’s intent.
The commission’s decision was the start of a long process, he said.
Abandoned buildings decay in the Tymber Skan on the Lake Condominiums complex in Orlando, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. The Orange County commission is formulating a plan to permanently close what remains of the derelict 1970s neighborhood and relocate its residents. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)
“What I want the members of that community to know is this just starts a conversation,” he said, speaking to Tymber Skan residents in the audience of Tuesday’s Board of County Commissioners meeting. “Nothing will happen fast, nothing will happen quick and nothing will happen without your input. It is important to me that you be involved in the process, and that we will make sure that whatever transition happens — even if it results in the termination of the community — you are made whole in a way that makes sense for your family…”
He also addressed rumors that residents could be booted out to make way for a high-end redevelopment of the 63 acre site.
Scott said, to his knowledge, no one has approached the county with a redevelopment plan for the property. He also promised residents, many of whom are seniors or disabled, they will not be put in a situation where “someone’s saying ‘Get Out’ and you have no place to go.”
The board’s action empowers the county attorney or other legal authority to formally explore options, he said.
But some doubt the promises and appealed to commissioners to hold off a little longer. “Before you decide our future, give us time at the table to help plan it,” said Malinda Sinclair, a former Tymber Skan HOA chief who owns rental properties in the complex but does not live there.
shudak@orlandosentinel.com