The busy week before the start of a new school year became particularly stressful for two Tampa Bay teachers when part of their apartment ceiling collapsed, ruining their belongings and what they said were hundreds of dollars in classroom supplies.


What You Need To Know

  • Two Tampa Bay teachers said a ceiling collapse in their apartment damaged their belongings and hundreds of dollars in supplies they bought for their classrooms

  • Terrier Properties said it's not yet known what caused the collapse

  • Terrier said it's asked the couple for information on what was damaged and they'll be compensated for for any losses

“The way a lot of counties work is that they provide you with an allowance, but obviously that allowance is never really enough to provide for the demands of 150 students,” said Mark Smalley, a teacher for Pasco County Schools. “I try my best to stock up on school supplies at the beginning of the year, and then progressively throughout the rest of the year. This accident happening right before the first week of school really interrupted that entire process and set me back tremendously financially.”

Smalley said he and his girlfriend, Wendy Castro, returned home to their apartment on 12th Ave. NE around 9:00 after running errands Sunday night. They found a hole in their bedroom ceiling and debris covering the room.

“Just absolutely devastated our bedroom,” Smalley said. “Our mattress was covered with what looks like mold and filth, our desk, which is now out here, covered in dust, filth,” Smalley said from the apartment’s living room, which was filled with the couple’s belongings on Monday afternoon. 

According to Smalley, $200-$300 in school supplies purchased by he and Castro, a substitute teacher for Pinellas County Schools, were ruined. 

“The majority of what I have left is paper clips and index cards,” Smalley said, picking through a nearly empty bag. “I had poster boards set up, which were demolished. I had pencils, etc. All of those things essentially had to go in the trash.”

Making the situation even more challenging - the couple doesn’t have renter’s insurance.

“In hindsight, yeah, I should have gotten renter’s insurance,” Smalley said. “But, you know, when you feel safe somewhere, it’s the last thing on your mind.”

Their building is managed by Terrier Properties. Its managing broker said it wasn’t known early Monday evening what caused that part of the ceiling to collapse. He said to his knowledge, this hasn’t happened in that building before. Terrier is putting Smalley and Castro up in a hotel until the end of the week, when repairs are expected to be completed. 

“I appreciate their gesture of putting us in a hotel. I really do. But I think it should be a message to all landlords...that that’s not enough. If something like this happens, there needs to be total compensation.”

According to Terrier’s managing broker, Terrier asked Smalley and Castro to provide them with information about what was damaged. He said they will be compensated for any losses. Once the cause of the collapse is determined, Terrier said it will take steps to prevent it from happening elsewhere in the building.

Smalley has started a GoFundMe to replace the couple’s school supplies, mattress, bedding, and help with other expenses.