MOBILE HOME PARK RE-DEVELOPERS CAVE UNDER PRESSURE
April 5, 2019
by Arnaud and Naja Girard
[be sure to watch the video above]
The developers of the Wreckers Cay mobile home parks on Stock Island and the mobile home owners came to an agreement Thursday of this week. John Agnetti, the attorney who represents the residents, confirmed that a final settlement has been reached concerning the last 19 remaining families in the parks. The conditions of the settlement agreement are confidential but a well-connected source said residents will receive $20,000 and more time to relocate.
Only two weeks ago developers had moved for summary eviction of most remaining park residents. This sharp turn may have something to do with the brewing scandal over a report commissioned by the County which denied the existence of a housing crisis for the relocation of Weckers Cay residents. The report came under fire after The Blue Paper discovered most of the rentals mentioned by the expert were in fact Craig’s list scams.
We’ve since learned that the expert had ties to the developers and that even though the county was supposed to select an independent expert, his name had been provided to the County by Barton Smith, the attorney for the developers. Yet, during a December 11th 2018 meeting, when asked what companies could be chosen to do the study, Smith told the crowd the companies had been identified by the County and said, “I cannot recall their names.”
Previous Blue Paper coverage below:
Stock Island Residents to Developers: How do you sleep at night?
Mobile Home Park Evictions: Residents File Suit Claiming Fraud by New Owners
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