ORLANDO, Fla. — Several Orlando business owners are crying foul after they say administrators at Artegon Mall invented reasons to kick them out of the facility, leaving them millions of dollars in the red.
Sky Zone Trampoline Park is one of the businesses impacted by the situation and while it only recently opened, its operators are having to deal with families who think they’re out of business.
“They were just now starting to hit their stride, which is what makes the closing of the mall all the more tragic for them,” said attorney Tucker Byrd, who is representing Sky Zone in a suit against the mall.
The family that opened Sky Zone has put $2 million into the project and signed a long-term lease with the mall in order to have enough time to make it back, Byrd said.
The mall is currently for sale and its owners said they gave up on redeveloping Artegon Mall, which allows it to terminate at least some of the leases.
Fuddruckers co-owner Nick Videla said his company put about $250,000 into renovating the store at the request of the mall.
“They told us to do some remodeling and we did,” Videla said. “We have been impacted in so many ways. We had to let go of some of our employees.”
Sky Zone and Fuddruckers are two of five businesses still operating in the mall, but the holdouts have started wondering if it’s possible to bounce back.
“It’s no different than if you had a hot-air balloon and you turned off the heat,” Byrd said. “Eventually the balloon is going to fall out of the air. It’s just a matter of time.”
Cox Media Group
