TAMPA, Fla. — A spokesperson for the Silver Oaks Apartments complex in Tampa says the management team is beginning "corrective measures" after complaints by tenants of substandard living conditions recently reached state and federal leaders.
According to Cambridge Management, the company that manages the apartment complex, units have been surveyed and a construction team will be on-site all week to perform repairs. The company adds that pest control as well as a plumbing team will also be on-site for the week. Additionally, AC filters have been replaced.
The response from the management team comes days after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor released statements on the apartment complex's condition. Rubio even called on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to conduct inspections during the next several weeks.
In his letter, Rubio called Cambridge's work a "disgraceful mismanagement" and said, "No Floridian should be subjected to these sorts of conditions, least of all in properties subsidized by taxpayer dollars."
He said his staff visited the complex on April 14 and noted every unit had an infestation of roaches and rats. Social workers from a local elementary school, he claimed, handed out bleach and cleaning supplies because students who lived there "are often sick [and] have to receive wellness checks on a regular basis."
10 Tampa Bay recently looked into Silver Oaks Apartments' recent inspection scores. Its latest rating was a 66. That score indicates potentially life-threatening conditions.
According to the spokesperson, repairs are expected to be completed by the end of the week.