Sep 4, 2008 10:06 am US/Eastern
Davie Mobile Home Park Residents Protest Eviction
Residents Have Until February 28th To Move
DAVIE (CBS4) ―
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Residents of Davie's largest mobile home park have until February 28th, 2009 to move.
CBS
Some were angry, others fearful, all were frustrated. Wednesday night hundreds of residents of Davie's largest mobile home park marched on townhall to protest their eviction at a town council meeting.
More than 900 low income families call the Palma Nova mobile home park off Davie Road and I-595 their home. Last month, they received eviction notices from the park's owner and developer Austin Forman, one of Broward County's most politically influential businessmen, stating that they had until February 28, 2009 to move.
Wednesday evening they marched on to townhall to ask commissioners if there was something they could do to stop the eviction. They also want to know if they could stop paying rent before they move so they can save money.
"I've lived here for 19 years," Marion Grand said, as she cried. "I don't know what I'm gonna do, and I mean this is my home, and all of a sudden like they're just going to take my home away."
"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?" wondered Karina Ramos.
Ramos and her young family saved and bought a mobile home in Palma Nova in July, 2008; a month before the eviction notices went out. Ramos told
CBS4 reporter Carey Codd she feels betrayed.
"Why they did they do that to me," questioned Ramos. "They should have let me know, that way I don't buy this mobile home."
Most residents of Palma Nova are angry about the eviction notices. Not only will it require finding new schools for their children, they also know that it will be too expensive to move their mobile homes and nearly impossible to sell them if the home is old.
Families like the Ramos' will likely receive some money from the state, but not enough to cover what she's lost.
"Who's gonna give me my $6 thousand dollars back," demanded Ramos, "Nobody."
Council member Susan Starkey said she wants to know if there was any fraud involved by allowing people to move to the park recently if the owner already planned to sell.
Under state law, residents displaced from a single wide mobile home receive $1,375; from a doublewide $2,750. Resident who opt to move their mobile home are eligible for anywhere from $3, thousand to $6 thousand.
In accordance to the Town of Davie law, Palma Nova has provided residents with a list of affordable housing in the area. The park's owner has also hired a relocation company to help residents move. Another nearby mobile home park has said they are willing to take in some of the residents if they have newer mobile homes that can be moved.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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