For more than two
years, some Coral Springs condo owners have been trying to
stop the city from tearing down their building. But now, it
could be just days away from being demolished. ]
James Haddad, condo owner: “To your left is #20, and to your
right is #21.”
Now boarded up and fenced in, it’s a building James Haddad
cherished for 21 years of his life.
James Haddad: “There’s
a lot of memories here. I raised my 23-year-old kid here.”
He owns two units at the Villa Bianca Condominium in Coral
Springs. But back in 2021, he and other residents were
forced to pick up and leave.
James Haddad: “The city came in, and they said, ‘You didn’t
fix the roof, we gave you two years, therefore we’re kicking
everybody out.'”
Since then, Haddad has been moving from place to place and
forced to spend some nights in his car. |
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James Haddad: “I
wouldn’t call myself homeless, but I would say I was pretty
close to it. It’s like a nightmare.”
The building’s owners did try to repair the roof.
James Haddad: “We had a plan. The roofing company wanted 10%
just to get started. Everybody gave me checks but the one
person.”
They attempted to get a loan for the total cost of the roof,
but couldn’t, and that was the last straw for city
officials.
James Haddad: “The city is talking demolition and has voted
unanimously to demolish the building.”
Haddad and the other owners hoped they could recoup some of
their investments by selling the building before it was torn
down.
James Haddad: “‘We demolish it, and you walk out with
nothing.’ That’s 20 years of payments I made.”
So they hired realtor Holly Iannucci. She found buyers who
were interested but hit a wall with the city.
Holly Iannucci: “A buyer can’t close on a property that’s
going to be demolished. The city has been unresponsive and
just continues to say that we’ve already passed the appeal
deadline, and there’s nothing that they can do.”
7 Investigates reached out to the city. They tell us they
gave the building three extensions through the Unsafe
Structures Board, and since the condo failed to make the
changes within the time frame , the city says it is moving
forward with tearing down the building.
Still, the owners are hoping for a last-minute resolution.
Holly Iannucci: “These are hardworking, middle class
Americans. I would just ask that the City of Coral Springs
have compassion for the owners and just give us a limited
window to stop the demolition and close. We only need about
two weeks. That’s all we’re asking for.”
James is not sure how he will support himself if the
building is demolished. But Holly says she’s not done
fighting.