SOME MORE LIVE CAMERAS. AGAIN, COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES. ALL RIGHT. WE’LL SEE YOU THEN. BACK HERE, TWO DEVELOPING STORY. HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ARE STILL OUT OF THEIR HOMES. THIS IS ABOUT A WEEK AFTER A DOCTOR PHILLIPS APARTMENT BUILDING WAS SHUT DOWN. ORANGE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE SAYS THEY FOUND CRACKS IN THE WALLS AND OTHER SIGNS INDICATING THE BUILDING MAY NOT BE SAFE. WESH TWO CHRISTINA WATKINS REPORTS THAT A NEW LETTER IS NOW SHINING LIGHT ON THE TIMELINE TO HOPEFULLY GET EVERYONE BACK HOME. SOMEONE WHO LIVED HERE AT THE RIALTO APARTMENTS SENT WESH TWO A COPY OF THAT LETTER, WHICH THEY RECEIVED FROM MANAGEMENT. IN IT, IT SAYS THE TIMELINE FOR ENGINEERS TO FIX ALL OF THE PROBLEMS WILL TAKE EVEN LONGER THAN IT ALREADY HAS. TAKE A LOOK HERE. THE LETTER READS IN PART, QUOTE, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS EXTENDED TIMELINE AND THE UNCERTAINTY ARE BOTH CHALLENGING AND UNSUSTAINABLE FOR YOU. OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS, WE WILL SHARE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT LEASE TERMINATIONS AND HOW WE WILL ASSIST YOU IN FINDING AND RELOCATING TO A NEW HOME. THE MANAGEMENT TEAM ALSO SAYS THEY ARE WORKING TO COME UP WITH SOME SORT OF PLAN TO START HELPING PEOPLE MOVE ALL OF THEIR THINGS OUT OF THIS APARTMENT. IT WAS ONE WEEK AGO WHEN A WOMAN CALLED 911 BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE COULDN’T OPEN HER DOOR. FIRE RESCUE THEN FORCED OPEN SEVERAL OTHER DOORS, AND LATER, INSPECTORS SAID THEY FOUND CRACKS IN THE BUILDING. THE NEARLY 350 TENANTS WHO LIVE HERE DID RECEIVE $1,000 FROM THE OWNERS, TRYING TO HELP OUT WITH SOME OF THEIR EXPENSES, BUT SOME JUST SAY IT’S NOT ENOUGH TO COVER EVERYTHING. WHILE WAITING FOR INSURANCE, WE DID GET THE CHANCE TO TALK TO A MAN WHO LIVES HERE WITH HIS YOUNG SON AND HIS WIFE. WE ASKED IF HE EVER EXPECTS TO COME BACK TO THE PLACE THEY CALL HOME. HERE’S WHAT HE SAID. I DON’T THINK SO. I CAN GO BACK TO MY APARTMENT. MY APARTMENT IS NOT OKAY. I CANNOT COME BACK HERE AT ALL. THROUGHOUT THE LAST WEEK OF COVERAGE HERE AT WESH TWO, SOME TOLD US THEY’RE ALSO TALKING WITH ATTORNEYS TO SEE IF THEY NEED TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION. THE LETTER, SENT TO WESH TWO FROM MANAGEMENT, ALSO SAYS THEY HOPE TO GIVE AN UPDATE TO TENANTS SOMETIME SOON. WE’LL LET YOU KNOW ONCE WE FIND OUT.
Checks bounce for Rialto residents displaced after cracks found in apartment building, lawsuit says
Updated: 1:18 PM EDT Mar 26, 2026
A class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses the corporation behind Rialto apartments of negligence and breach of contract, which forced the displacement of more than 350 residents. The apartments, just outside Orlando in the Dr. Phillips area, were evacuated last week after a woman called 911 saying she couldn’t open her front door and heard popping sounds, thinking the building would collapse. The woman, and others in the building, had to be rescued by Orange County firefighters who broke down doors. Officials found structural issues in the building, including wall cracks, indicating potential safety hazards.Northland Rialto owns the apartment complex. Residents have been allowed to gather some things, but access to the building is limited. Lawsuit filedThe lawsuit claims residents were “under the belief that the … property was habitable, free from construction defects, and a safe location in which to live/reside.” The lawsuit goes on to say the company providing $1,000 checks per apartment was an “attempt to pacify” residents, but many have bounced. The lawsuit says plaintiffs are demanding a trial by jury.>> This is a developing story and will be updated
DOCTOR PHILLIPS, Fla. —
A class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday accuses the corporation behind Rialto apartments of negligence and breach of contract, which forced the displacement of more than 350 residents.
The apartments, just outside Orlando in the Dr. Phillips area, were evacuated last week after a woman called 911 saying she couldn’t open her front door and heard popping sounds, thinking the building would collapse.
The woman, and others in the building, had to be rescued by Orange County firefighters who broke down doors.
Officials found structural issues in the building, including wall cracks, indicating potential safety hazards.
Northland Rialto owns the apartment complex.
Residents have been allowed to gather some things, but access to the building is limited.
Lawsuit filed
The lawsuit claims residents were “under the belief that the … property was habitable, free from construction defects, and a safe location in which to live/reside.”
The lawsuit goes on to say the company providing $1,000 checks per apartment was an “attempt to pacify” residents, but many have bounced.
The lawsuit says plaintiffs are demanding a trial by jury.
>> This is a developing story and will be updated