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Mobile home residents unite in fight over property rights
By KATHY FERGUSON
| Article published on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005 |
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SEMINOLE – Dozens of Harbor Lights Mobile Home Park residents usually appeal to this City’s Council for help during its Tuesday night meetings. But on Oct. 25, they brought a lot of friends.
And, not just any friends. These friends were representatives from a growing countywide mobile home park association coalition joined in the fight over property rights.
There were so many people, in fact, city officials moved the meeting across the street to the recreation center’s auditorium. The number of attendees exceeded the occupancy requirements for fire codes at City Hall.
Some visitors made the trek, others went home unhappy with the move.
Jenny Cocciardi, a young mother living in Pinellas Park’s Golden Lantern Mobile Home Park, made the short drive.
“In our coalition, we will not allow this to happen,” she said about displacing residents. “We may lose a few battles, but we will not lose this war.”
Cocciardi is now the chairman of that park’s association and an active member in the coalition. “We want to stop people from having their homes stolen from them,” she said.
Today, 12 parks are coalition members, including Harbor Lights, Bay Pines, North Anchor Bay, Sanderwood, Lakewood, Lakeview, East Bay Oaks and El Dorado. Lake Shore residents, who learned of their sale in September, also joined.
Representatives from each association attended the Seminole meeting. That’s part of their strategy, Cocciardi said.
“We are making arrangements to attend meetings in St. Petersburg and Largo, as well,” she said. “We are registered voters. We want people in offices who are going to do something to help us.”
The plan is to support candidates who listen and offer help to change laws.
“There is something very political about this and very personal to each and every one of us,” she said.
Cocciardi said she understands property owners have a right to sell their land, but the coalition believes mobile home owners should have rights, too. In St. Petersburg, Pine Haven Mobile Home Park residents received their six-month eviction notice on Oct. 14, she said. Sixty-two mobile homes are in that park.
“It’s heartbreaking to see it happening to them,” she said.
Pinellas County has more than 285 mobile home parks, and Cocciardi said calls are streaming in, asking to join. The coalition has contacted every one of the parks, hired a public relations firm and attorneys. In the bigger picture, Cocciardi has contacted other counties and states to research other policies.
In January, Golden Lantern residents were notified of their park’s sale. On the good side, Cocciardi said, residents may be offered a chance to buy their park. Attorneys from both parties are discussing the matter.
“It’s very possible,” she said.
Cocciardi lives in the park so she can raise her 2-year-old daughter without having to work full time.
“I want my daughter to learn from me. We hear about ‘family values’ all the time. We need to support that,” she said.
In her research, she found that affordable housing in the county means a home valued at $125,000.
“That’s not feasible for young families,” she said.
While Golden Lantern has families building their lives, Harbor Lights is filled with elderly residents facing a move that would probably be their last.
Matt Matkoski, of Harbor Lights, is 80 years old and a veteran of World War II. He moved into this area to be close to the veteran’s hospital.
“People are panicking,” he said. “I am sticking it out. I’m not going anywhere.”
The closing on Harbor Lights is scheduled for Nov. 4.
Originally, citizens wanted to listen to the council’s ideas at the workshop about a land development ordinance. That document, up for discussion, contains the magic words “affordable housing.” But with the meeting’s move to the recreation center, that workshop was postponed due to the late start of the regular meeting.
The coalition has no plans to stop.
“Anyone is welcome to join us, not just mobile home owners,” Cocciardi said.
Call Cocciardi at 544-6379 or e-mail her at jennyglhoa@ yahoo.com.
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Article published on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2005
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