ORLANDO, Fla. — Thursday marks one week since more than 350 residents had to be evacuated from The Rialto apartment building on Sand Lake Road due to structural instability concerns.
What You Need To Know
Residents of The Rialto were evacuated due to structural instability
A class action lawsuit claims the owners failed to ensure a safe living environment
Some displaced residents say all they want is to get answers and see some accountability
On Wednesday, March 25, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of one of the tenants, Adriana Swissa, against the two companies that own the building, Northland Rialto, LLC. and Northland Investment Corp. a Massachusetts-based real estate private equity firm.
“The main problem is, and it’s very clear, under Florida law, they did not provide a safe, inhabitable home to these folks… We did the work on Champlain Towers and represented several families there. So, when we heard about this problem, we heard that 911 call, we had similar feelings like, this has got to stop,” Bryson, Harris, Suciu & DeMay, PLLC trial lawyer Patrick Montoya said.
On March 19, Orange County Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call where a resident whose apartment is on the fifth floor of the building said she couldn’t open her apartment door and started hearing popping noises.
Crews deemed the building was not safe and evacuated all of the residential units and businesses on the first floor.
“We want to make sure that they receive appropriate compensation for it, if they have to go out and find new housing, moving costs for their personal items that they can’t get access to, their food, for example, and finding housing in a tight Orlando market or even finding a hotel in one of the tourist capitals of the world is very difficult, so these people need help and they need it now,” Montoya said.
In the lawsuit, the plaintiff and class members demand damages in excess of $50,000 and any further relief the court may deem appropriate.
“This is a public safety concern, that’s really what’s underlying in this case, and the fact that there has been work that was unpermitted done in this building makes us question how deep we have to go in this lawsuit,” trial lawyer with Bryson, Harris, Suciu & DeMay, PLLC Markus M. Kamberger said. “We intend to push as far as we can to get answers for these good people of Orlando and I’d like to echo that Orange County has done a tremendous job on ensuring the safety of everyone there.”
Meanwhile, dozens of residents are still going back to get their belongings. Carts full of boxes and personal belongings have become the reality every day at The Rialto apartment complex. The area is cordoned off and a team of contractors with Servpro, a restoration services company, is working on the property.
“I just have hope that my stuff is in good hands and will probably be safe. But day by day I just keep coming here and I try to grab as much as I can,” resident Amanda Dougherty said.
Earlier this week residents got an update from the building management company saying they will waive the rest of the month for tenants for the number of days they are not able to live in the unit, and that they will give $1,000 per unit to help with expenses.
According to Orange County records, The Rialto was built in 2014.
Some residents said they were not home when the evacuation happened, so they didn’t even get a chance to get their things.
“I was caught blindsided. I was in Vegas when this happened. I haven’t been in my place since the 15th. So, it’s been a little strange being displaced, like that,” resident Leonidas Papakalos said.
On Wednesday, residents said they received an email from property management saying that the engineers had informed them that the timeline for completing their work would be further extended. They added that over the next couple of days they will share additional information about lease terminations and how they will assist residents in finding and relocating to new homes.
“I was able to rent another townhome in the area. But right now, I still don’t have any of my stuff. I just put a list together. Hopefully, I can get some of my stuff today so I can at least have some of the essentials,” Papakalos said.
Residents said all they want is to get answers and see some accountability.
“In the next few days, I just hope to see some progress. And at least if there can be a report that comes out that says that either the place is condemned and we can’t live here,” Dougherty said. “I just want to know.”
Residents who want to get their belongings are given appointments every day between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Spectrum News reached out to Orange County, and a spokesperson said Rialto management told their Division of Building Safety that their engineering team is still investigating the cause and extent of the issue in The Rialto building. They expect to have more information in the coming days.
Northland representative David Scharfenberg shared the following statement with Spectrum News 13 via email.
“Our top priority continues to be the safety and well-being of our residents. We recognize how disruptive and stressful the past week has been, and we understand the very real challenges residents are facing as they navigate temporary housing and uncertainty about next steps.
Based on ongoing guidance from our engineering team, additional time is needed to complete a thorough and careful assessment of the building. This work is complex and must be done methodically to ensure we fully understand the conditions and determine the appropriate path forward. At this stage, we do not yet have a definitive timeline for when the investigation will be complete or when further details can be shared.
Given this uncertainty, we have begun planning for next steps to support residents. We will be communicating directly with residents in the coming days with more information.
We remain committed to working as quickly and responsibly as possible, and we will continue to keep residents informed as we learn more. We appreciate their patience and resilience during this difficult time.”