Windsor Cove: Protection underway for residents

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Protections are on the way for tenants living in the Windsor Cove housing complex.

Eyewitness News has investigated for years the deplorable living conditions residents said they’re forced to live in.

Eyewitness News learned owners will be held more accountable for safety and sanitary conditions.

The protections are now federal law, with legislation by Florida's senators being included in the budget deal reached this week.

“The company that owns this, this is how their units look everywhere,” said Sen. Bill Nelson.

Senators Marco Rubio and Nelson said help is on the way for tenants living in Orlando and other public-housing units across the country.

Nelson said the budget deal reached this week includes language to keep the pressure on owners to make sure conditions are safe and sanitary.

“All of the repairs have to be made and there’s no squishy language allowing them to interpret it the way they want to,” Nelson said.

The owners of this complex, Global Ministries Foundations, have received millions of dollars in federal funds to supplement rents in their properties. They're supposed to also use that money to keep the apartments maintained.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development fined the company hundreds of thousands of dollars for code violations.

“We want the money that comes into those fines to go back to help out in the repairs or to relocate the tenant to a safe and sanitary place,” Nelson said.

Housing advocates said the data and their research shows problems like these are at public-housing communities are rare.

President Donald Trump signed the $1 trillion budget deal Friday afternoon.

Eyewitness News reached out to Global Ministries Foundation for comment but we have yet to hear back.

Cox Media Group