A new public health report accuses one of the country’s largest manufactured home park owners of neglecting Florida communities, creating unsafe and unsanitary conditions that are endangering residents’ health.
The report, Home Sick, released this month by Human Impact Partners and Manufactured Housing Action, highlights issues in several Florida properties owned by Homes of America, LLC, a subsidiary of Alden Global Capital, a hedge fund known for its aggressive cost-cutting tactics. Homes of America owns more than 60 communities in Florida alone.
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Researchers conducted in-depth interviews with residents and reviewed state inspection records. At Lake Runnymeade Mobile Home Park in Osceola County, the report documents unsafe drinking water, sewage problems, overgrown brush, and shuttered community amenities like pools and clubhouses.
Charlene, a longtime resident of Lake Runnymeade, said she can no longer use the swimming pool for her chronic pain therapy.
“They tell me to exercise in the pool,” she said. “I can’t do it because the pool is not fixed yet.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cited the community for water quality violations in 2023, including the presence of nitrates, fecal contaminants, and failure to notify residents about the risks, all of which can pose serious health threats, particularly to children and people with compromised immune systems.
Residents also described frequent water shutoffs without warning, forcing them to rely on bottled water or travel to neighbors’ homes and gas stations for basic hygiene.
“We had to buy gallons of water to flush toilets and brush our teeth,” said Lainey, who lives in a Homes of America community in Illinois, but echoed similar challenges reported by Florida residents.
In July 2023, a Florida resident told reporters a tree limb crashed through his mobile home roof, one of several stories of delayed or ignored maintenance. Meanwhile, residents say rents have soared by as much as 200% since the company took over.
“These big companies are buying mobile home parks across the country and all they see is a return on the dollar,” State Rep. Paula Stark, R-St. Cloud, told local media. “They’re not taking care of the residents.”
The report suggests that Homes of America’s neglect is contributing to mental and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, and infections. It calls on lawmakers to strengthen housing codes, regulate rent increases, and support resident ownership models.
“We’re talking about elderly people, people with disabilities, families with children,” said Will Dominie, one of the report’s authors. “They deserve safe, stable homes, not hazardous conditions.”
Florida remains the epicenter of the issue: nearly half of Homes of America’s nationwide properties are located in the state. Advocates warn the trend could accelerate unless state and local officials intervene.