Students relieved at eviction process changes around UCF

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The University of Central Florida has yet to disclose if it is speeding up the eviction process following the suicide of a student, but students Channel 9's Christopher Heath spoke to say they're relieved something is being done to make sure people who don't need to be on campus aren't on campus.

"There are a lot of people who are traumatized by what happened," said student Christina Tolomeo.
 
Tolomeo lives in UCF tower one, the same tower where two weeks ago fellow student James Seevakumaran killed himself after backing out of a plan to murder fellow students.
 
Seevakumaran had been in the campus housing eviction process but was still living in his apartment, a revelation that now has some off-campus student housing stepping up evictions.
 
"It does make people feel a lot safer," said Tolomeo.
 
Across from campus, the Sterling Apartments filed just 22 evictions in the 10 months before Seevakumaran death. They had not filed any evictions this year. Since Seevakumaran shot himself 25 evictions have been filed.
 
"We don't need people that don't have to be here," said UCF student Peterson Esperance.
 
Sterling would only say it is following lease agreements, removing tenants who are in violation. It's a move that students say is a move in the right direction.

Typically it takes six to eight weeks to carry out an eviction.

University officials did not respond to Heath's enquiries about changes made to evictions for those living on campus, or if the number of evictions has increased.

WFTV