Thank You National Apartment Association. I will do my best to get this very important information out ASAP to numerous owners, investors, huge property management companies (e.g., Riverstone Residential), attorneys, and judges, AND, of course, to the MANY people who are currently living in MOLD-INFESTED APARTMENT COMPLEXES right now! katy
By TaMaryn Waters • DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
Camesha Hudson has a growing case of mold in her apartment at Sunrise Place Apartments.
In her kitchen, a layer of gray-green material coats portions of her curtains and chairs. It’s visible on seat cushions in her living room, on toys and in children’s clothes in the closets.
“It’s on everything,” said Hudson, who’s 22 and seven months pregnant. She has temporarily moved in with her grandmother because of the mold.
“Hudson and four other residents are now working with Eubanks, Barrett, Fasig & Brooks law firm, attorney Don Freeman said. The residents contend their complaints have been met with temporary fixes. Officials with Community Housing Partners, which owns the south-side property at 2525 Texas St., say they act promptly when issues arise.
An inspection of Hudson’s apartment is scheduled for today or Monday, a representative of the owners said Thursday.
Sharonda Allen, 29, said mold grows on her walls routinely. When she complains, she said maintenance workers respond by spraying the walls with a bleach solution. Then the area gets painted.
“I feel like they don’t really don’t care because they don’t live over here,” Allen said of staffers.
The subsidized housing complex has 99 units. In 2004, the Tallahassee Democrat reported that the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cited the same complex, then known as Southwood, for various health and safety concerns including potential toxic mold found in four units.
Hudson and others feel like they’re getting nowhere in finding solutions.
The Leon County Health Department doesn’t address complaints related to mold, spokeswoman Page Jolly said. Instead, residents are referred to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation or other agencies.
Jolly said mold may be present in some places since it feeds on moisture. “Tallahassee is pretty damp all year round,” she said.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation received complaints from Sunrise residents on May 5 and May 10, communications director Jenn Meale said. But its inspectors lack the authority to identify mold.
“The most that our inspectors could do would be to cite a building-repair issue for any observations of a mold-like substance,” Meale said.
Dr. Ronald Saff, an allergist in Tallahassee, said mold spores are not toxic, but there are some exceptions. But he said if a person is allergic to mold, it can cause asthma problems.
Angela Gilyard’s 4-year-old daughter suffers from asthma. She shared a note from Tallahassee Memorial Hospital indicating “mold in patient’s home may be a factor contributing to her asthma exacerbations.”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” she said.
Freeman, the attorney, said the firm is working with an environmental consulting firm to determine if legal action is necessary.
Community Housing Partners, based in Richmond, Va., has received three complaints in the past 24 months on mold, said Scott Reithel, vice president of property management. Reithel said he visited every unit in November. “I didn’t notice any mold issues,” he said.”
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Truth About Mold – the most up to date, accurate, and reliable information on Toxic Mold
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“Changes in construction methods have caused US buildings to become perfect petri dishes for mold and bacteria to flourish when water is added. Instead of warning the public and teaching physicians that the buildings were causing illness; in 2003 the US Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform, a think-tank, and a workers comp physician trade organization mass marketed an unscientific nonsequitor to the courts to disclaim the adverse health effects to stave off liability for financial stakeholders of moldy buildings. Although publicly exposed many times over the years, the deceit lingers in US courts to this very day.” Sharon Noonan Kramer
Katy's Exposure 