Florida condo association tells woman her friends displaced by Hurricane Dorian are not welcomed
TEQUESTA, Fla. (WFLA) – A Florida woman says her condo association is threatening her with daily fines if she keeps letting a long-time family friend displaced by Hurricane Dorian stay there.
Donell Pubien’s home in Abaco is still standing, but barely. With gaping holes and warped walls. It’s unlivable.
“Rocks would fly through and sound like shotgun bullets,” Pubien said in an interview. “This hurricane was really devastating.”
He and his family have been close friends with Teena Lavalvo for about 10 years. They would come to visit her often over the years.
Lavalvo even helped arrange for a private plane to take them off the island. The rest of his family went to stay at his sister’s but there wasn’t enough room for him, so he came to Lavalvo’s townhome.
Other displaced Bahamians stayed at her house too. She says the highest total was seven, which was for one night. Now Pubien says, it’s now just him.
Teena was welcoming, she says her association was not.
“She indicated that she had been informed that I had brought in displaced families to my home and that it was against the guidelines of our association,” Lavalvo said.
Just days after that conversation she got a letter from her association’s management company saying the home is for a single-family and that she’s not allowed to rent any rooms out. She says she’s providing temporary housing for free.
“I do not understand how this association, or any other community wouldn’t behave empathy for the fact that we were going through a very short period of transition,” Lavalvo said.
And starting next week, she could be fined $100 to $1,000 every day if she doesn’t find other arrangements for the displaced Bahamians.
“Out of everything, you’re always going to find spiteful people and people that just don’t care about other people. But you’ll always find good people wherever you go,” Lavalvo said.
Source: CNN/WKMG
