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Article
and Video Courtesy of Channel 8 -- WFLA
By Shannon
Behnken
Published
September 15, 2014
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VIDEO
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ST PETERSBURG, FL -- A St. Petersburg woman upset about black mold in the condo next door is now breathing easier in a hotel, after an 8 On Your Side investigative report.
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Josephine Ramos felt ill for months with headaches and breathing problems. Recently, she had a peek inside the condo next door and couldn't believe her eyes. There's mold covering the counter tops and the walls, and it's slowly creeping into other condos.
The condo was foreclosed on and is owned by a bank. Ramos' complaints about the mess led nowhere.
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8 On Your Side sent photos of the mold to Nationstar Bank. The bank has since started remediation of the mold. The condo is blocked off with plastic.
"Nothing was happening until you stepped in," Ramos said.
"I was breathing it in," she said. "That's a fact. We're don't know what my health conditions in the long term will be. I'm trying to be as healthy as possible. And thank God I'm just not in the environment right now."
Air tests found not only black mold but asbestos, too. Ramos is happy to be in a hotel for now, but she still questions why it took 8 On Your Side to get something done. |
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"It's great that there's people like you to help, but again, the sad thing is it wouldn't have been done if I didn't call on you," Ramos said. "And that's what's really bothersome.
Nationstar Mortgage spokesman John Hoffmann said the bank is waiting to get approval from the state to start tearing out the mold. He said he expects to get that approval next week and start work immediately. The work is expected to take at least a couple of weeks.
Mold takes over St. Pete condo, creeps into neighbors' homes
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