More than 250 seniors displaced from St. Pete apartment building still waiting to return

Displaced seniors waiting to return home

Genevieve Curtis reports

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - More than 250 seniors in St. Petersburg were displaced by a fire at their building and learned it will be a few more weeks before they can return home.

Residents of the Lutheran Apartments were evacuated on December 17, 2024, because of a fire the day before. It damaged the building's electrical system, leaving the building without power, water or air conditioning.

The residents were initially told they'd be in hotels for 10-14 days and expected to be home by now, but that's not how it happened.

"I’m missing my home and I feel like a gypsy," said Sally Mosman, a resident of the building.

It's been a lot of moving around for the seniors, some with various mobility challenges.

"I packed for the shelter clothes. I didn't pack too much clothes, and so now I'm only in the same clothes over and over and over," said Mosman.

A majority of the residents were staying at a hotel in downtown, but they were suddenly told the hotel was fully booked and all the seniors needed to go. On Thursday, they were all, once again, relocated to hotels all over the county.

PREVIOUS: 250 seniors evacuated from apartments after fire at 16-story downtown St. Pete building

"We've been scattered about four different hotels, it's just very traumatic," said Ralph Lebkuecher, another resident.

The manager of the Lutheran Apartments told FOX 13 that they were having difficulty getting the right parts for the 55-year-old electric system. Their long-term solution could take two to three months.

In the meantime, they’ve flown in a team from Colorado to make emergency repairs so that residents could be back as early as two weeks, provided their permitting process moves smoothly.

FOX 13 also asked the manager about concerns that the aging electric system should have been replaced sooner. He said he’d defer to the experts but hadn’t seen any issues that would have required replacement before now.

"I think it's very stressful on the people and the way we've been moved around a lot," said Lebkuecher.

"I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that we will be back in two weeks," said Mosman.

The apartment's manager said they are refunding residents half of their December rent and giving a per diem to those who stayed with friends and family.

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