An apartment building in Fort Lauderdale owned by Grant Cardone is at the center of an uproar among tenants over flooding from this month’s historic rainfall.
Dozens of units in the South Tower were left on April 12 when the city was hit by 26 inches of rain, flooding streets, single-family homes and closing Fort Lauderdale International Airport 10X Live Las Olas The rooftop swimming pool on the eighth floor and the terraces of the two-storey units on the seventh floor are both submerged by the waterfall, according to the video provided The real deal.
One short clip shows water rushing down the stairs of one of the two-story apartments, while other footage shows water gushing from a swimming pool and spraying from an air-conditioning vent in one unit.
Rainwater caused swimming pools to overflow, while poor drainage in the terraces left waterlogged — with nowhere to go but down, according to four residents.One of the tenants, Jordan Blue, also provides TRD There are screenshots of Whatsapp chats among 50 tenants, as well as a Facebook group of 200 residents discussing the storm chaos and its aftermath in the 106 South Federal Highway building.
Blue paid $2,600 a month for a one-bedroom unit on the sixth floor, which is now badly damaged, he said. Blue said he was planning to move out, but was told by property management that he would still be responsible for rent payments until new tenants moved into his apartment.
“My neighbors and I have suffered a lot,” Blue said. “About 30 to 40 units were affected by the rainwater pouring from the swimming pool.”
In a text message, Cardone said his team, including property manager RPM Living, responded in “10x fashion, proactively addressing the inconvenience our very grateful and loyal residents are experiencing”. One of the videos does show several fans and a dehumidifier drying a unit.
Cardone Uses his massive social media presence to recruit investors for his business ventures and is one of the largest multifamily investors in the United States.
After closing the deal, Cardone allows investors to put up at least $5,000 in exchange for a small stake in its real estate ownership entity.Through his Aventura-based affiliate Carton Capitalaccording to his company’s website, he owns $5 billion worth of condominiums in five states.
In 2021, Cardone purchased 10X Living Las Olas, then called Las Olas Walk, as $744 million Acquisition of four multifamily residential projects in Broward County.
Stand-alone sales prices for the two 456-unit 10X Living Las Olas complex are unknown. Cardone typically buys the title entity, rather than buying a building through a property deed sale that must be recorded.
Blue disputed Cardone’s assertion that his team had taken the initiative. “It hasn’t been said whether there will be compensation,” Blue said. “Lots of people have renters insurance and most of them get denied. The insurance company claims it’s a flood event and it’s not covered.”
He added, “They care more about the viability of the building than current residents do.”
Dylan Palmer, who rents a one-bedroom unit for $2,950 a month, said he used storage boxes to collect water and pour it into his tub throughout the storm. “Water was coming out of the vent,” Palmer said. “It’s just an overall horrible situation.”
Palmer said his clothes, towels, two pairs of shoes, a bed frame and two dog beds were all completely destroyed. “They told me they were not responsible for anything,” he said, referring to RPM Living employees. “I had to pay for the hotel myself. It was absolutely exciting.”
Palmer moved out this week after quickly finding a new apartment. His lease at 10X Living Las Olas is up for renewal next month, he said. “They’ve listed it for $3,100 a month,” he said. “I was there yesterday and it still has water damage.”
Britt Nemeth and Jim Welebir, tenants of a two-story unit, told TRD They will be among the first to rent the building when it is completed in 2021. Their rent is $4,600 per month. Since they moved in, the patio has artificial turf covered with gutters that rainwater runs through.
“Rainwater ran from under the floors, down the walls, down the stairs,” Welebir said. “They had to install 13 fans and two dehumidifiers to dry the apartment.”
Welebir said that when inspecting their apartment, RPM Living general manager Tania Gondesen tried to claim that the water stains on the apartment’s walls and doors were caused by the urine of their two dogs.he offers TRD Through his email exchanges with Godensen, she apologized for asking whether the wet fluid was dog urine.
Gondesen declined to comment by email.
in his text communication TRD, Cardone There was no response to specific allegations made by Blue, Palmer, Nemeth and Welebir.
“The team … worked around the clock to weather this freak storm,” Cardone said. “For the most part, our residents are very aware of this once-in-a-lifetime natural disaster. We will continue to support everyone who has been negatively affected.”
