Apr 16, 2009 11:08 pm US/Eastern
Water Is Turned On Again At NW Dade Condo
The County Said There's An Outstanding Balance Of $124,581.04
NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE (CBS4) ―
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Over a hundred residents af the Mirassou Condominium were forced out of their homes after the county cut off water supply for lack of payment.
CBS
Thursday night good news arrived for 200 residents living without tap water in their Northwest Miami-Dade condo complex, all because of unpaid bills by management. They have gotten water service restored.
The Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department turned the water off Wednesday after the condo association failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in previous water bills. However, Thursday night
CBS4 News learned that the water department and the property management had reached an agreement.
That is welcome news for Doris Rosas, who used the pool earlier in the day as a makeshift bath for her little girl. Rosas told CBS4's Michael Williams, "We don't have a shower and my daughter did not go to school because we have no water."
The residents of Mirassou Condos located at NW 186th Street and 61st Avenue discovered the water was off when they arrived home Wednesday.
The Florida Property Management Group runs the condominium and collects fees from residents to pay the water bill. The problem: one-third or more of the units are said to be in foreclosure and that may be one reason why the water utility costs became unaffordable.
Another resident, Maria Arce, summed up the mood when she said, "It isn't fair to come home from work and not have water." It's really not fair residents say when the ones still living at the complex are paying ever escalating fees to cover their fair share of the bills.
Miami-Dade commissioner Barbara Jordan stepped into the middle of the water war and helped broker an agreement to pay back a sizeable portion of that delinquent bill. The best estimates as we filed this report—up to $62,000 from the property association is headed to utility collectors.
Some residents claimed that a clerical error may also been to blame for a check bouncing.
But the
Miami-Dade Water And Sewer released a statement of the severity of the problem contributed to by management owners.
County officials say the water bill for the entire complex has had problems making payments since August 2008, and
the association must make a minimum payment of $47,626.04 in order for service to be restored.
Maria Arce, a resident who makes her payments on time, is frustrated when she opens a kitchen faucet and nothing flows out. "What about all of those who pay their bills and now faced with no water."
A further explanation why management has not been current with its bills was offered by Christina Duarte. She works in the management office and explained that more than half of the 340 units are in foreclosure. There are not enough owners to pay the tens of thousands of dollars owed to the county.
"At this point we've done all we can, we've sent the letters to the proper authorities, to the mayor... we're just waiting for a response for help," said Duarte.
Monica Posada, another resident, added "We need water in order for us to stay in here and if they ask us to leave, what do we do? We don't know where to go."
The larger issue concerns the growing strain that our economic crisis is placing on those left behind when scores of fellow residents flee or have their condominium units foreclosed. Bills and other maintenance fees once spread across a huge resident base are suddenly dropped on a shrinking group of people. It's one more reminder of the havoc that will continue to mark the long road to recovery.
Resident, Noelia Hernandez is thrilled to have water again, but she worries it could be shut off again, because the foreclosure issue remains.
She told CBS 4 Reporter Natalia Zea, "I'm happy we have water today, we can take a shower. But what about tomorrow? Next week? That's my concern."
Some of the
foreclosed units in the Mirassou Condominiums are owned by banks. Legal experts tell CBS4 that banks have to pay all bills, fees, and assessments that the other owners do.
Commissioner Jordan says she's looking to pass an ordinance explicitly holding banks accountable if they don't pay up.
CBS4 reporters Natalia Zea and Liv Davalos contributed to this report
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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