ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A vigil and protest were held against developers in St. Petersburg on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier this month, tenants said they were shocked to find notices giving them either 15 or 30 days to vacate the Stanton Hotel and Apartments to make way for the Cordova Inn hotel expansion.
One man, Kelvin Washington, died while tenants said he was in the process of moving out. Washington spoke during a protest this month and said he was on disability.
Protestors from the St. Petersburg Tenants Union said they object to the expansion. They and tenants left behind have called for those involved with the expansion to give renters more time and resources with their rushed move.
Among tenants include Amber Watson. She said she has nowhere to go after her lease is up by Monday.
"We're not looking for a handout," Watson said. "We just need more time or we need help getting into a place."
She said many of the tenants who live in the property are in the same boat as Washington was.
"It's blue-collar people of a lower income," Watson said. "There are a lot of disabled people."
Others like Harold Brown, who said he's lived on the property for years, have found housing but the new housing is only temporary.
Developers from TJM Properties and New Hotel Collection said the building was not up to date with safety codes and that 89 percent of Stanton's tenants were able to relocate.
They added renters were also given a $500 cash bonus and that October rent was waived.
In a statement, a New Hotel Collection spokesperson wrote:
"The Stanton owners are continuing to vacate the building for safety reasons, and most tenants have already relocated. In addition, a local community organization is financially assisting the remaining tenants in relocating.”
In a statement, a TJM spokesperson wrote:
"TJM has forgone all rents for October and given $500 cash to tenants upon moving out, totaling approximately $64,000 of support. In addition, we have been flexible when tenants who have made a request for additional time to relocate. 89% of the Stanton's tenants were able to relocate with our assistance and we are working with the remaining tenants on a one-on-one basis. No evictions have been filed; these were all lease expirations. Meanwhile, the group protesting this has provided no assistance to any of the tenants through the process."