'Pause everything': Florida trailer park residents invoke state law to halt evictions

Residents of a Little Havana mobile home park are asking a judge to stop evictions that they say could drive dozens of people from one of Miami's dwindling sources of affordable housing.

The fight involves Silver Court Trailer Park, where residents contend the owner began trying to empty the property before completing a state process meant to prevent people from being displaced into homelessness.

What happened?

In Miami-Dade County court, the Silver Court Homeowners Association is seeking a temporary injunction against park owner 1989 Sunny Court LLC, arguing evictions should not move ahead while disputes over the property's planned change of use remain unresolved.

As WLRN reported, residents said they were told in March that they would have six months to leave because the land use for the property was changing.

Carrie Feit, a lawyer with the nonprofit Community Justice Project, said a 2011 revision to Florida mobile home law made local government approval an essential part of the process before residents can be forced out.

"What we're trying to say is that in 2011, the law very much changed in a significant way that makes clear that government determination has to be part of the change of use process that shuts down that park," Feit told WLRN.

The HOA says in its filing that the owner issued notices without first obtaining rezoning or similar government approval, which residents argue would evade protections in Florida Statute 723.083. About 50 mobile home owners still live in the park.

Why does it matter?

The case reflects mounting pressure in South Florida and elsewhere as affordable housing communities are redeveloped when land values rise, leaving lower-income residents with fewer options.

According to WLRN's reporting, Feit said many of the Silver Court residents who remain are older adults or people with disabilities on fixed incomes, making Miami's already expensive rental market especially hard to navigate.

"It's not hyperbole to say that some of them will wind up experiencing homelessness," she said.

In mobile home parks, residents may own their homes but not the land beneath them, leaving them vulnerable when property owners decide to redevelop.

What's being done?

The requested injunction would "pause everything. Keep the status quo. Don't let the park proceed with this change of use notice until the court makes this larger determination," Feit told WLRN.

Residents have also turned to elected officials in hopes of getting the property owner to negotiate for more time and to provide additional relocation help.

Urban Group, which WLRN identified as the Fort Lauderdale-based developer overseeing the process, said it believes the owner is acting lawfully. Urban Group President Matt Rosenbaum told WLRN: "For mobile home tenants, disputes rarely change the ultimate outcome, and the best course of action is to accept the generous relocation offers being offered upfront."

Rosenbaum said the owner's focus remains on "providing relocation assistance that exceeds what the law requires so that families can transition to the next chapter of their lives with support and dignity."

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