'What we found was disgusting': Life-threatening conditions found at apartments; tenants relocated

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
·5 min read
Bernadette Mohorn with her sons Briyon Wohorn,12, (left) and Tyriyon Webster, 9, in their new apartment in Belle Glade Tuesday, March 15, 2022. They were forced out of a dilapidated apartment building in Pahokee when the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place. Bernadette and Tyriyon are both sick from the mold in the old apartment.

PAHOKEE — County officials were forced to shut down a Pahokee apartment complex this month after discovering life-threatening conditions that included the presence of mold, sewage backups and exposed electrical wires that could have electrocuted tenants.

The 25 tenants from 15 households have all been relocated. The four-building complex is in an unincorporated area of the county near Pahokee's municipal boundary.

"What we found was disgusting," said Ramsey Bulkeley, executive director of the county’s Planning, Zoning and Building department. "This is the worst case I’ve seen in my 10 years here.”

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Following a two-hour emergency hearing March 2, Special Magistrate Earl Mallory ruled that the apartments were unfit for human habitation and ordered the owner, Executive Advantage LLC of Boynton Beach, to demolish the buildings on the 700 block of Joe Louis Avenue. Bulkeley said if the owner does not do it, the county will.

Tequisha Myles, a supervising attorney for the county's Legal Aid Society, said people of limited means are having a very difficult time finding safe housing at an affordable price.

"We have seen a number of cases where unscrupulous landlords will take advantage of them and charge them outrageous rents for apartments that are not fit to reside in. And if they complain, the landlord will try to evict them. With the affordable housing crisis getting worse, we will probably see even more of these cases."

She noted that it is rare for the county to shut down a building because it is often difficult to relocate the tenants, adding: "The conditions had to be very bad."

This 32-unit apartment building in Pahokee sits abandoned Tuesday, March 15, 2022 after the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.
This 32-unit apartment building in Pahokee sits abandoned Tuesday, March 15, 2022 after the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.

Unfit apartments have raw sewage, mold, open electrical wires

Executive Advantage is operated by Po Ying Sem from a house in the Equus development on Lyons Road west of Boynton Beach that is valued by Zillow at $1.4 million.

Sem did not deny the complex has deteriorated but claims it is the fault of tenants who destroyed the apartments. She said she will fight efforts to demolish the buildings. Her intent is to repair the units and offer them again as rentals.

One thing is for sure: The apartments need a lot of work.

Code enforcement inspectors found raw sewage backing up into shower stalls, open electrical wires, missing fire extinguishers and mold clearly visible on walls and ceilings.

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Bernadette Mohorn, one of the tenants, said she and her 9-year-old son are sick from the mold in their apartment, adding: "We kept going to the hospital thinking we had COVID. We kept testing negative. Finally, they figured out it was the mold."

There are 38 one-and-two-bedroom units in the two-story buildings. Mohorn said she paid $1,000 a month in cash to rent her small one-bedroom apartment. She moved there in August, and it soon became obvious that there were going to be problems.

The toilet was never attached to the floor, and the sink leaked badly. The hot water heater broke within a month, and the flood that ensued ruined all her furniture. She said the landlord refused to buy a new hot water heater.

Perhaps the worst problem was the raw sewage that backed up into her shower stall, preventing her from taking a shower. And because the broken hot water heater was never replaced, there was no hot water.

A photo Bernadette Mohorn made of sewage backed up in the shower of the dilapidated apartment building in Pahokee she was forced out of when the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down. She said when she plunged it, it then came out of the sink in the downstairs apartment, which housed a mom and newborn. Along with raw sewage, dangerous electrical conditions also were present in the complex.

She praised the response of county officials in shutting down the complex and relocating the tenants. She was relocated to Belle Glade, and has about two months to find another place to live.

Mohorn accused the owner of the apartment complex of taking advantage of tenants who lacked the resources to force the owner to make needed repairs. And if tenants complained too often or went to the county, they were ordered to leave.

Jodi Guthrie, a code enforcement officer for the county, responded Feb. 10 to complaints by tenants along with County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, who represents the region. Accompanying them were officials from Fire Rescue, the Building Division and the Health Department.

Bernadette Mohorn with her son Tyriyon Webster, 9, in their new apartment recently in Belle Glade. They were forced out of a dilapidated apartment building in Pahokee when the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place. Bernadette and Tyriyon are both sick from the mold in the old apartment.

Displaced tenants were able to find temporary housing

The inspection resulted in the county obtaining the emergency ruling it sought from Mallory three weeks later. The Community Services Department was able to find temporary housing for the displaced tenants when the order was enforced March 9.

County code enforcement has been pressing the landlord to make repairs for more than a year. The $500-a-day fines total nearly $400,000. Liens have been placed on the property to prevent it from being sold unless the fines are paid.

Mohorn said Sem collects a security deposit and first and last month's rent. She needs the security deposit to help her find a new apartment. "It is not like I damaged the apartment. It was bad from the day I moved in. It is not right that she kept the security deposit."

A waning sign posted on a 32-unit apartment building in Pahokee Tuesday, March 15, 2022 after the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.
A waning sign posted on a 32-unit apartment building in Pahokee Tuesday, March 15, 2022 after the county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.

Meanwhile, McKinlay said the joint operation of the different agencies showed how well county government can work to address a problem that needs to addressed. She called on the Florida Legislature to criminalize the conduct of landlords who allow life-threatening conditions to develop.

She also noted that many of the tenants at the Pahokee apartments used federal, state and county funds to help pay their rent. Inspections need to be done, she said, of these units to ensure that the public funds are being spent wisely.

A view through the window into an apartment in an abandoned 32-unit building in Pahokee Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.
A view through the window into an apartment in an abandoned 32-unit building in Pahokee Tuesday, March 15, 2022. The county invoked emergency powers to shut the units down, and relocate tenants. Raw sewage was backing up into some of the units, and dangerous electrical systems were in place.

Jesse Saginor, an associate professor at Florida Atlantic University's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, said a number of towns in Palm Beach County require landlords to have their rental properties inspected before tenants can move in.

Saginor said an inspection program is something the county could consider implementing.

Mike Diamond covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. If you have a tip, he can be reached at mdiamond@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @michael06339386

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Outrageous rents, unfit living conditions at Pahokee apartment complex