ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. \u2014 The city of St. Petersburg says water may be shut off to hundreds of apartments later this month because the property owner hasn\u2019t paid its utility bill.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
City of St. Petersburg says water may be shut off to hundreds of apartments later this month because the property owner hasn\u2019t paid its utility bill
\n
People who live in apartments at Elements on Third on 3rd Avenue North and The Morgan on 27th Street South got notices on their doors on Aug. 1 from the city\u00a0
\nAn apartment spokesperson said the company sent that payment last week<\/p>\n
People who live in apartments at\u00a0Elements on Third on 3rd Avenue North<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The Morgan on 27th Street South<\/a>\u00a0got notices on their doors on Aug. 1 from the city. They said utility service will be cut off on Aug. 21 if the property owner, Lurin Real Estate Holdings, doesn\u2019t pay its bill.<\/p>\n An apartment spokesperson said the company sent that payment last week, but residents say they\u2019re preparing for the worst.<\/p>\n The water was running in Olivia Bethune\u2019s apartment on Monday, but she was among those who got notice from the city.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018Regretfully, we have now reached a critical point that will impact utility services to all of the tenants of Elements on Third,\u2019\u201d Bethune read from the letter.<\/p>\n A pricing breakdown Bethune provided shows Elements on Third tenants pay for water and sewer as part of their rent, but the city says Lurin hasn\u2019t passed those payments on.<\/p>\n \u201cI wasn\u2019t surprised because I had been doing a lot of research,\u201d Bethune said about the company. \u201cThey\u2019ve had issues in Texas. They\u2019ve had issues here. They\u2019ve had tons of properties foreclose.\u201d<\/p>\n Bethune moved to Elements on Third four months ago. She said there were issues from the beginning, like the pool being closed and gates not working. It was when she joined a resident Facebook group two weeks ago that she began realizing the extent of the issues. That group is how Thomas Sullivan found out water could be shut off. He\u2019s lived in the complex for more than a year and says the walkable neighborhood is a big plus since he doesn\u2019t drive.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very disturbing,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cWater is not a luxury \u2014 it\u2019s a necessity, and I don\u2019t have another alternate place that I can go to in town.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Lurin said payments for the outstanding bills were sent last week.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are waiting for the City\u2019s records to reflect receipt of the payments,\u201d spokesperson Ed Cafasso said via e-mail. \u201cThat should occur well before the threatened deadline. There should be no interruption in water service for residents.\u201d<\/p>\n Jeffrey Swartz, a professor emeritus with Cooley Law School<\/a>, said tenants have options if water is turned off.<\/p>\n He said they can send a notice to their landlord that they plan to terminate their lease in seven days if water service isn\u2019t restored. They can also place their rent in registry of court and file suit to force the landlord to provide water, which he said is required by law.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCan they force them to turn on the water? They can get a court order to do it, but the main remedy that they have is to terminate their rental agreement so they\u2019re no longer obligated to pay rent,\u201d said Swartz.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s completely awful. I mean, the fact of the matter is that these residents are stuck between two forces,\u201d said Boshko Stanisic, co-chair of the St. Petersburg Tenants Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stanisic said the tenants union hasn\u2019t been contacted by any of the impacted residents, but the group is looking into getting more involved.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember at one point, I didn\u2019t get the housing that I needed, and it was panic mode \u2014 very distressing,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, it\u2019s absolutely awful if any of them aren\u2019t able to stay in the place that they are.\u201d<\/p>\n St. Petersburg spokesperson Samantha Bequer said the city understands this is a stressful situation for residents and is working to prevent utilities from being shut off. She said partial payments were received as of Aug. 1, and the hope is progress will continue. Bethune said she\u2019s already made plans for where she\u2019ll stay if it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t really feel optimistic about it,\u201d Bethune said. \u201cI feel 50\/50, because I just don\u2019t know which way it\u2019s gonna go.\u201d<\/p>\n Bethune said she has started reaching out for legal help.\u00a0<\/p>\n