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Story Archive

Story of the Week: Jeanann Bolton

I did everything right. I paid my rent on time, kept my home neat, helped my neighbors, and followed the rules. Yet in less than six years, I have lived in five residences across four parks under nine different landlords. Each time, I lost not only money but work, stability, and social support. I was forced to sell homes far below market value, losing years of investment, while the moves cost thousands more in packing, transportation, temporary housing, storage, and replacing belongings.

The pattern is always the same: a park gets sold to a private equity firm or corporate owner, and suddenly everything changes. Illegal rent increases arrive without proper notice. Management ignores Florida Statute Chapter 723. When residents speak up, they face retaliation — fabricated arrears notices, harassment, even violence. I've been physically assaulted trying to help a neighbor defend against an illegal eviction. My home was set on fire after I filed a complaint with the Attorney General. I've been stalked, threatened, and forced to flee for my safety more than once.

Right now, I own a HUD-certified mobile home in Highlands County, but management insists I'm merely a "recreational vehicle" tenant and claims Chapter 723 doesn't apply to my tenancy. My rent was raised two times in little more than a year without the required 90-day notices. In October 2025, Sun Communities purchased the park and immediately posted new rules, new fees, and another rent increase on their websites — changes most seniors never even saw. Many only discovered the increase when logging into the payment portal. I'm one of roughly 530 homeowners subjected to these things. I feel trapped in this community, and like most seniors on fixed incomes, I can't simply move. My home must be sold first, and the park currently has over 140 homes sitting on the market, many of which have been for sale for more than a year.

The toll has been devastating. Living under constant threats of eviction, harassment, and worse has left me in constant fear. The trauma has deepened my anxiety, endangered my health, and stripped away my sense of safety and dignity. The unspoken message from government agencies is clear: unless you have tens of thousands of dollars for lawyers and years to fight in court, your grievances will not be heard. The law will not be enforced on your behalf. Your property rights, and even your basic rights as a tenant and a human being, do not exist.

This is not just my story. It is the story of seniors, disabled residents, and working families across Florida. Housing is more than property — it is safety, stability, and dignity. Without change, predatory landlords will continue to amass unreasonable profits while ordinary Floridians lose not only their homes, but their health, their security, and their hope.

Matt Chapman (Waukee, IA)