Residents of a neighborhood in Winter Park, Florida, say squatters have created a “nightmare” situation and are not being evicted citing how the police department is “handcuffed” from doing anything.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Winter Park resident Justin Mielcarek told WFTV 9.
The news channel visited the town’s Fifeshire Drive, and said residents were eager to talk about squatter issues, including a house that had sparked tension since June when squatters reportedly moved out.
Mielcarek and other neighbors said they started noticing full trash cans, shadows covering all the windows, and a car in the driveway at the home in June, even though the homeowner lives out of the country.
The neighbors said their suspicions had arisen and called property management to ask about their new neighbors, but the property company had no record of any tenants.
Police were called, who reportedly stormed the property, and left the squatter who allegedly fled over the fence, jumped out of the window and even landed in the pool, WFTV reported.
“K9 unit, helicopter. The gentlemen ran, the police officers chased them,” a neighbor, identified only by her first name Leslie, said.
Squatters wreak havoc in the Winter Park, Florida neighborhood. Google Maps
The home has since reportedly been the site of 14 police calls when neighbors reported cars visiting the home each night, flashing lights from house to house, and speeding down residential streets.
Police, according to residents, are patrolling the area more closely in response to the alleged squatters.
Neighbors said that the police had been held back from making any arrests because the squatters allegedly produced fake lease records.
Neighbors see full trash cans, shades that cover all the windows and a car in the driveway at the house even though the home owner lives out of the country. Google Maps
The actual homeowner, according to the outlet, filed suit to evict the man from the public, but neighbors blamed him for squatting.
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“I think we have to figure something out,” Mielcarek said. “The police are handcuffed because they can’t do anything … and the court process takes a long time. You wish it was a little bit faster process.”
They say the homeowner has refused to sell the property to a willing buyer, while the property has fallen behind in maintenance.
“We have three rental properties on the street alone, and it’s very obvious that they’re not kept,” said neighbor Christine Armstrong.
Armstrong said the slum dweller almost ran over one of his children in the street.
“Once upon a time, a few days ago, [one of the occupants] almost hit one of my kids,” Armstrong said.
A lawyer representing homeowners to evict alleged squatters said a judge signed a final judgment against the squatters last week.
Attorneys will be able to apply for a writ of possession once the judgment officially appears on the court docket.
The people inside the house, however, claimed they were the victims of a scam, telling the shop that their cousin invited them to the house and they paid him rent. The cousin had disappeared, they said.
The police were called and left the squatter who is said to have escaped through a fence, jumped out of a window and even landed in a pond. Winter Park PD/Facebook
Squatting incidents in Florida and other areas across the country have become a more pressing issue since the outbreak, with similar incidents where squatters produced false documentation to take possession of homes.
A Bonita Springs woman was arrested last week for allegedly illegally moving into a multimillion-dollar beach home with her dog, and was caught by police wearing the real homeowner’s clothes at the time of her arrest, according to reports.
Law enforcement in Fort Lauderdale removed 10 squatters from a million-dollar property left infested with bugs and decay earlier this summer.
Meanwhile, other law enforcement near Port Orange, Florida, in June dismantled a structure on an island notorious for drug use that had been overrun by squatters.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
