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The Villages
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Troubled rental property in The Villages declared unsafe to occupy

A troubled rental property in The Villages has been declared unsafe to occupy, but the declaration prompted the landlord’s attorney and even a special magistrate to cry foul.

At the start of a hearing Tuesday morning before Special Magistrate Joshua Bills at Lady Lake Town Hall, Code Enforcement Officer Lori Crain announced that the rental property at 1005 Aloha Way on the Historic Side of The Villages that very morning had been declared unsafe to occupy. Crain recommended that $6,600 fines be imposed on the property’s owner, Daniel O’Neil, for its history of problems. Crain detailed O’Neil’s failure to obtain a permit and a licensed contractor to address a problem with the floor of the old manufactured home.

This home at 1005 Aloha Way is owned by Daniel ONeil
This home at 1005 Aloha Way is owned by Daniel O’Neil.

However, O’Neil’s attorney Robert Bone immediately raised objections over the 11th hour announcement that the rental property had been declared unsafe to occupy. He said it’s odd that the renters are being allowed to stay in the home through mid-June, even though the property has been declared unsafe.

Crain said she wanted to be give the tenants time to find other living accommodations.

Bone, a former mayor of Leesburg, blasted the “lack of cooperation” from the town and the tenant, citing his own experience in municipal government and noted he has served as a hearing officer in similar settings. He said that O’Neil has tried to send contractors over to work on the home, but the renters have created “obstacles” and prevented entry into the home. Bone said it’s hard enough these days to hire contractors and nearly impossible when the tenants refuse entry to the property.

He described the problem at the rental property as a “small hole in the floor.”

Bone also said the tenants are the ones who “stirred the pot” and alleged they are pursuing legal action against O’Neil, claiming they were injured on his property.

“If the building is unsafe, why aren’t they requiring the tenant to move out now, rather than in mid-June?” Bone asked

The special magistrate agreed that the last-minute declaration that the property is unsafe to occupy was an “ambush.” He decided to continue the case until May.

The hearings involving O’Neil’s properties have been tense, with at least one police officer standing by as a precaution.

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