Renters in St. Pete facing miserable conditions without air conditioning, not required in state
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - In the heat of the summer, some families are dealing with hotter temperatures inside their homes than outside.
In a state where landlords aren't required to provide air conditioning, some tenants are struggling.
"It’s unbearable. Every day I get home from work, it's in temperatures of 90 degrees," Tamia Lattimer said, adding she bought multiple fans to try to keep her apartment cool after her air conditioning stopped working in May.
"I have put in multiple work orders. I even had to pay for a private A/C company to come in to inspect the unit. Nothing's getting done," said Lattimer.
She lives at the Alta Mar apartments in South St. Petersburg and said many of her neighbors have the same issue with their AC. FOX 13 spoke to other tenants with the same issue.
And they can’t find relief at the complex pool either. It's been closed all summer, they said. Friday, it was half drained and filled with brown water.
"I feel bad about it because I pay my rent, and I shouldn't have to wait two and three months to have my unit repaired," said Lattimer.
She showed FOX 13 certified letters sent to the complex showing repairs needed to be made in seven days, but she still hasn’t gotten any relief.
In Florida, landlords are required to provide heat, they’re not required to provide A/C, and attempts to change those laws have failed. A bill didn’t even make it out of committee this year.
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"It's unacceptable. It's dangerous. It can kill people. This is a life-or-death issue. And that's what needs to be remembered in our state. Lawmakers need to do something, and they need to do something quick, and they need to do it now," said William Kilgore with the St. Pete Tenant’s Union.
Kilgore said A/C problems are some of the most common complaints renters bring to them. He says to check your lease.
If your landlord provides A/C, they are usually required to fix it.
"If you have a lease, but it doesn't have anything about the A/C, and you're having these issues, frankly, reach out to us because we'd love to hear about that and help you fight back," said Kilgore.
It is in Tamia’s lease on page 8, but she said that hasn’t made the process go any quicker.
"Someone has to stand up. This is not right," said Lattimer.
FOX 13 went to the leasing office. No one answered the door, despite saying it was open until 6 p.m. No one was in the office and no one answered our calls or emails.
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