Bradenton trailer park slated for closure, leaving its residents to scramble

A community will soon be uprooted with the impending closure of W.T. Mobile Home Park in Bradenton, a decades-old haven for low-income men and women — most with disabilities.

Linda Siebert lived behind the Advance Auto Parts on First Street for about three months, before she moved to the park with her boyfriend and two dogs, Baby Girl and Buddy. Those memories returned with Friday’s termination notice.

“When it started raining and our tent got flooded, we said it’s about time we pull our money together and find a place to live,” she said. “That’s when somebody told us about this park.”

Siebert is on disability for back ailments, and her boyfriend earns a small income by mowing lawns. They can afford the $700 a month for rent and the cost of utilities, but now they have until Sept. 30 to find a new home.

“It’s hard for people that are on limited income to find a place to live,” she said.

Some received the notice by hand on Friday morning. Others had the termination notice plastered on their doors or windows, while a handful of residents — still shopping or working — had yet to learn of the news by late afternoon.

“The new landlord took an assignment of your lease and all the lots and cottages in the Park,” one letter states. “As I am sure you are aware, the Park recently sold and the property will no longer be used as a mobile home park.”

The community, located at 3702 Manatee Ave. W., received two letters on Friday, each from an attorney at Greene Hamrick Quinlan and Schermer P.A. The Bradenton law firm represents Manatee MHP LLC, the park’s new owner.

Residents have until the end of next month to vacate W.T. Mobile Home Park, located across from Bradenton’s Shake Pit restaurant. Going forward, Mike Carter Construction will clear the property and erect something new, whatever that may be, attorney Robert Schermer said.

The construction company was unavailable for comment on Friday afternoon.

“I can say under Florida law, they’re only required to give them 15 days’ notice. So the closing just occurred, and they wanted to give them as much notice as possible,” said Schermer, explaining the 30-day notice given to residents.

Friday’s rumor was that W.T. Mobile Home Park would soon become a storage facility. Mary Becker moved to the park about five years ago, shortly after she suffered a stroke.

Since the park rented on a month-to-month basis, requiring only the first month’s rent to move in, Becker said it was a draw for low-income residents and those with disabilities.

She and her husband, Jeff, have been looking for a new home over the last two months, after they heard whispers of a new owner. Such rumors were common at W.T. Mobile Home Park, which hit the market years ago, they said.

The couple has yet to find something comparable, Jeff Becker said. Along with the affordable rent, the park is close to several grocery stores and bus stops, a draw for people who often walk or ride a bicycle each day.

About two dozen people live at W.T. Mobile Home Park, the Beckers estimated, and each will have to grapple with application fees, security deposits and increased rent by the end of next month.

“We’ve got nowhere to go“ he said. “We ain’t got $2,000-something dollars to put in another place. We live here because we’re poor, and now we’ve got 30 days.”

Jeff Becker said the community needs information about where to find affordable housing, and quick.

“I’m not asking for a handout,” he continued. “That ain’t what this is about.”

The aging trailers have seen better days, and the community is still working to drive out crime, but the park is home, Shelley Marks said.

She described a place where help is just around the corner, whether someone missed a utility payment or fell short on food. Marks is now working to find new housing for her fellow neighbors.

One resident said he planned to visit the Salvation Army for leads on affordable housing, and that park residents might join forces and split the costs of a new home.

“It becomes more of a family than it does neighbors,” Marks said.

This story was originally published August 30, 2019 at 6:22 PM.