ORLANDO, Fla.,None — The University of Central Florida cut ties to its largest student apartment complex, Pegasus Landing, where 2,500 students live. UCF said it will no longer recommend the place because of growing concerns over mold. WFTV covered those complaints before.
The doctor the school hired to investigate found mold he described as "excessive." He also said he didn't see an imminent danger to the health of students living there, but late Friday afternoon UCF announced it's not taking any chances and sent notices to everyone who lives at the apartment complex.
Paige Costa lives in the Pegasus Landing apartments and received a notice Friday warning her about the toxic mold in the building.
"I was definitely nervous. I just never thought that I would live somewhere where there would be mold or even with health concerns," Costa said.
UCF owns the land, but not the buildings, so the school can only make suggestions and not force the building owner, Capital Project Finance Authority, to do anything.
WFTV reported in February about the water intrusion issues at Pegasus Landing and, at the time, at least 20 students moved out because of mold problems. So the school hired an independent doctor from USF to investigate mold spore samples collected there. And, while he found no imminent danger, he did say "complaints associated with indoor dampness may be related [in part] to excessive indoor mold growth."
The university also asked the building owner to come up with a plan to address and repair the problems, but, as of Friday afternoon, UCF hadn't received any type of clean-up plan. However, the property owners told WFTV they had a plan in place that was set to be implemented Friday, including air quality tests and additional repair and renovation work.
"They said it was a health concern, so that's my biggest problem with it," Costa said.
UCF is pulling its entire on-site residence life staff from Pegasus Landing because of the health concerns. The Landing Assistance Network will help residents find legal help to get out of current leases, if they choose to do so.
WFTV
