Hundreds Of Seniors Displaced After Downtown St. Pete Apartment Fire

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Fire officials, a city code enforcement officer and the building’s electrical contractor, Suncoast Electric, met Tuesday morning at Lutheran Apartments to review and discuss the damage.

Because repairs will take anywhere from seven to 10 days due to the difficulty obtaining the needed parts, it was decided that all residents need to be evacuated, Langford said, adding, “If they (the repairs) could have been done in a day, they (residents) wouldn’t have to leave.”

Of the building’s 225 units, 215 are currently occupied by about 275 residents, he said.

As of about noon, many residents still didn’t know that they needed to temporarily relocate, Langford said.

The evacuations will likely take hours Tuesday, as firefighters and staff are going door to door to let residents know they need to leave.

Since Duke Energy cut power to the building Monday night after the fire, there is no power to the building’s elevators. A number of residents have mobility issues and require assistance from firefighters getting down the stairs to the ground floor, Langford said. “It’s a daunting task.”

Residents have several options. Those with family or friends in the area are encouraged to stay with them, he said.

The Red Cross also has plans to open a shelter just for those living in Lutheran Apartments.

The site of the shelter hasn’t been determined yet, a Red Cross representative outside the building Tuesday morning told Patch.

“It’s going to be an evolving process,” he said.

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The property management team is also offering hotel waivers to residents “with no place to go” and who might be wary of shelters after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, Langford added.

“It’s not an easy task” because of hotel vacancy rates in the St. Petersburg area, he said, noting that city staff are looking for hotels that might have space for displaced Lutheran Apartments residents. “It’s been difficult.”

The building, which Langford estimates was built about 50 to 55 years ago, was renovated five years ago. At that time, all the elevators and electrical components to the building were upgraded with new equipment, he said.

The tower is a Section 42 tax credit property run through the IRS.

Some residents expressed frustration with how the evacuation was being handled. Several didn’t want to speak with Patch for fear of retribution by management.

“All we know is there was a fire last night. It only affected the first floor and now we’re being told we need to leave,” one resident, who didn’t want her name published, told Patch. “We don’t know what’s going on.”

Another resident, who also didn’t want her name published, told Patch that the situation was overwhelming.

“They didn’t give us much time to pack,” she said. “Just get your stuff and leave. A lot of us don’t have anywhere to go.”

She said that she plans to remain in her unit and was given permission to do so by property management as long as she signed a waiver.

“This is not an option supported by management or the city,” Langford told Patch via text message. “Residents are being asked to stay with friends, go to a shelter or allow us to find them a place to stay.”

The resident told Patch that staying in their units during the repairs is an option “if you push them enough.”

She also said she was unaware that a hotel waiver was an option for those displaced.

“There are all these hotels nearby, sure, fancy ones, the Marriott, but it’s a (expletive) emergency,” she said.

“Ninety-nine percent of residents are very understanding. They realize that things happen and we’re trying to work with them,” Langford said, adding, “Being a senior myself, I can understand what they’re going through.”

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