NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Florida Senate bill could mean big changes for mobile home owners.
As it stands, Senate bill 818would take away certain rights from those owners and give some more power to the people that own mobile home lots.
One big change is that it would allow those lot owners to increase the numbers of homes without increasing the number of community residents.
It would also allow a five-person committee to negotiate rent increases with ownership, but wouldn't allow residents to bring outside counsel to those meetings.
One local mobile homeowner says these proposed changes come at at time when many in her community are already facing steep rent hikes.
She claims its led some to take drastic measures.
"We have a lot of senior citizens in here that are taking their medicine every other day to pay the rent," said Marjorie Mathers, who lives in the Buccaneers Estates in North Fort Myers.
We've reached out to bill's sponsor, Senator Ed Hooper, for comment and have not heard back.
