Local

Families say hotel turned off water, electric to force them out

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Families at a Kissimmee hotel are spending the night without heat or hot water, and they've been told they have seven days to get out.

Some residents told Channel 9's Renee Stoll that they received notices that they were being evicted, even though they said they want to pay to stay.

"We don't know where to go or what to do," said resident Glenda Steidle.
 
The 19 families, some with small children, at the Claremont Hotel in Kissimmee said they are without bare necessities on one of the coldest nights of the year.
 
"No hot water, no heat, I don't know what they expect families to do," said Steidle.
 
"I hear (children) complaining at night, 'Mommy, I'm cold,'" said resident Jessie Thomas.
 
Even the elevators don't work, making things extremely tough for Jennifer Garcia, who has spina bifida. Garcia said that makes it difficult for her to leave her third-floor apartment.
 
"Sometimes I could come up the stairs, sometimes I can't and it hurts my back really bad. Right now I'm in pain," said Garcia.
 
Stoll spoke with hotel manager Hum Bhandari about the complaints.
 
"They're not making payments," said Bhandari.
 
But Ann Marie Daniel jumped into Stoll's conversation with Bhandari to disagree with what the manager said.  .
 
"There's kids that can't take showers, elderly people, disabled people," Daniel said.
 
"You're one of the people?" Stoll asked.
 
"Yeah, I have to go to work and I'm going to work without a shower," said Daniel. "Every week I paid my money. I'd like respect."
 
Bhandari then told Stoll that code violations are forcing him to shut down the residents' building.
 
"Can you move them to another room?" Stoll asked Bhandari.
 
"We don't have rooms available," he said.
 
"The hotel's not full," Stoll pointed out to the manager.
 
Stoll was then told that the hotel is failing and can't pay for electric.  
 
"We're not doing it purposely," Bhandari said.
 
"So you said the hotel itself is doing bad and you can't afford to pay the electric bill?" Stoll asked.
 
"Yes," he said.
 
Stoll noticed that the electricity was on in the reception area of the hotel.
 
Representatives from the Hope Community Center plan to visit residents to see what help they can offer, but it might be difficult find a place for them to go because Osceola County has no emergency shelters.