LAKELAND, Fla. — Residents at a Lakeland senior affordable housing community are fed up with the elevators not working, leaving some of them stranded on the upper level for days.
At St. Luke’s Life Center apartments, residents told Tampa Bay 28 reporter Rebecca Petit, the elevators breaking down is not new.
“It’s been going down quite a bit in the last couple of weeks. It’s been down a couple of times, maybe two or three times,” said Robert James.
WATCH: Residents sound alarm over repeated elevator breakdowns at senior apartments
James has been living at the apartment complex for nearly two decades. He said the issue is becoming more frequent.
“I’ve been here a while, and it’s been a bit more recent lately than ever. So, I don’t know if it’s a part that they need to get in and fix it,” said James.
Many residents at St. Luke’s Life Center apartments rely on wheelchairs or walkers, and for some, using the stairs simply isn’t an option.
“This has been a tough experience with people on the fourth floor getting down. I’m able to get down, but some people aren’t,” said James.
Michael Joseph, a former St. Luke’s leasing agent, said he has been bringing the issue to city leaders for years, pushing for a permanent solution.
“I’ve been coming down here for the last eight or nine years,” said Joseph at Monday’s city commission meeting.
He said back in 2017, the complex lost power during Hurricane Irma. That meant no working elevator. He said there have been issues with the elevators inside the four-story building since.
“People are just stranded up there for days. I've seen them up there for seven or eight days,” Joseph said.
Petit asked one of the property managers about a permanent solution, and she said she forwarded the inquiry to St. Luke’s corporate office. They have not yet responded.
While the elevators are currently working, residents worry it’s only a matter of time before they break again.
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