ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg police have shut down two assisted living facilities for squalid conditions.
- Police close 2 assisted living facilities
- Facilities at 3434 2nd Ave South and 3418 2nd Ave South close over poor conditions
- 9 residents displaced; no charges filed
According to police, the facilities located at 3434 2nd Ave South and 3418 2nd Ave South were shuttered Thursday for what they called "deplorable living conditions."
The department revealed that they became aware of those conditions after an officer stopped by the facility following a robbery earlier this week.
“[The officer] was invited inside by one of the residents, and that’s when he discovered that there was no power,” said police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez. “No running water, the living conditions were deplorable, and so that’s when he said, 'ok, we’ve gotta shut this down.”
Both homes are run by Tampa Bay Behavioral Health.
Officers said they also found broken windows and drug paraphernalia on the property.
Nine adults were displaced in the closure, and have since been relocated.
Nicole Ford’s adult son has lived in the facility for more than a year. She says she paid the owner, Marcus Anderson, directly.
“My son’s check goes to [the owner] every month,” Ford said. “He made me sign his check over for him to live up under this facility, and going in there, looking at it, like they have mattresses on the floor that are molded, they have mold on the walls, on the ceiling and the bathroom, and the kitchen are [sic] disgusting.”
The owner, Marcus Anderson, didn’t offer much of an explanation why the conditions got to where they are. Police are continuing to investigate to determine if charges will be filed.