Petition To Ensure Safe and Habitable Living Conditions at Addison Farms Luxury Apartments

OR

Petition Addison Farms Apartments/Contravest Management Take Full Responsibility in Finding, Applying, Securing, and Financing the RELOCATION to an Alternate Safe and Habitable Home

Background Story: MICROPREEMIE baby boy Andrew and his mom.

On February 8th, 2023, I learned the true power and love of God. While only 22 weeks and 4 days pregnant, I was rushed to the hospital due to complications inflicted while attempting to have a bowel movement.  Mom felt something sliding out "the back and front" of her genital area at the same time. Upon further inspection, his father was able to see with ease the amniotic sac protruding from my cervix, then rushed me to the hospital immediately while while I sobbed uncontrollably in fear of her son's impending inevitable death. I just moved to the area 5 weeks ago and insurance just kicked in. Soon as we arrived the doctors and nurses told me my baby wouldn’t survive because he wasn’t yet 24 weeks, the threshold for viability. I was unsure of the exact week praying hoping I was indeed 24 weeks, but they confirmed I was only 22 weeks pregnant. For 12 agonizing hours, I contemplated moving to another hospital that might fight for my son’s life since they weren't going to try. Eventually, the nurse in me decided to stay and fight, praying fervently for not a miracle, just for my son to have a fighting chance. See asking for a miracle seemed inappropriate, considering so many women were in the same situation and despite their prayers for a miracle the baby did not or couldn't survive. I didn't feel like my son and I deserved more of a miracle that every other mom and baby before us. I refused to ask for something that we all deserved, yet we all couldn't get. So, I just wanted to be fair and asking for a chance seemed FAIR. 

Despite the odds and perceived medical statistics, I managed to delay my son’s birth for seven days through sheer willpower and faith, staying bedridden and refusing to do anything that might trigger labor including HOLD AND RESISTING THE URGE/NEED TO POOP FOR ALL #7 DAYS. On February 16th, due to a dangerous umbilical cord prolapse (HAD TO POOP, EVENTUALLY), I had an emergency C-section. My son was born weighing just 655 grams (1.44 pounds) and spent over three months on a ventilator in the NICU. Despite countless challenges, he fought and survived, and I battled postpartum depression and PTSD through it all. I initially blamed myself for my incompetent cervix because it was my responsibility to keep him safe and healthy, but in the end I couldn't fulfill the first job in my role as mom. Nevertheless, 520 days later, I am still fighting the same fight. For my son to live and have a fighting chance at life. The issue is I'm not sure how much more I can physically, mentally, and financially handle. How many days can someone survive survival mode?

Current Struggles:

After relocating from Georgia to Florida seeking a fresh start, I have faced continuous hardships due to substandard living conditions at Addison Farms Apartments. Here are the key points of my struggle:

1. **Infestation Issues:** Since moving in, I have been bitten by a spider. Despite providing photos as evidence, the management has dismissed my concerns, stating that the spiders are not poisonous and suggesting I look up natural remedies online. I live in constant fear for my son's safety, as he has chronic inflammatory lung disease from prematurity.

2. **Multiple Moves:** My first apartment was next to an elevator electrical room, which prevented a day or night's rest for my son and me upon immediately moving in. I had to physically move everything to the new apartment, which reinjured my back. I was initially scammed a week before moving to Florida by a moving company, underestimating my move and doubling the cost from $3,000 to $6,000. Unable to get a refund or dispute the $1,500 charge, I had to get a trailer to tow down what I could. After moving into my first apartment, I moved again a week later, then flew back to Georgia with my son when finances allowed, and my back injury improved. However, with that move, I reinjured my back and was forced to stay in a hotel unexpectedly for two days because I could not walk. As a single parent with no help, when I can't walk or lift my son, I can't care for him. He is only crawling and needs constant lifting or carrying. When I'm in pain, I can't move more than a few inches with each step. It takes up to a week to get better, just to reinjure with another unexpected move at no fault of my own.

3. **Pest Control Ineffectiveness:** I have already used their once-weekly pest control service over several weeks with no improvement other than no more ants. Pest control said spiders can only be killed on contact, so no solution to prevent their occurrence has taken place.

4. **Valet Trash Service Issues:** I asked not to be required to put the trash bin in and out of the house, hoping it would reduce the insects entering the home. They said it's my choice, but I still have to pay the mandatory fee and dispose of my own trash if I refuse to use the bin. They refuse to make any exceptions because then they would have to offer it to everyone else, which they will not do. I asked for Valet Trash to knock at my door if I signal with a note I have trash. I was told that they cannot due to their safety concerns. I asked if maintenance could pick it up a few times a week. Again, they refused and said no. I have not been offered any suggestions that help prevent, reduce, or ensure our safety and my sanity.

5. **Financial and Emotional Strain:** Relocating from Georgia was costly and stressful. I had to hire loaders, rent a U-Haul, and manage everything on my own with my one-year-old son. The management's refusal to compensate or assist in moving again adds to my financial burden and emotional exhaustion.

6. **Health Risks:** Due to the infestation, I am forced to keep my son confined to a 72 by 72 playpen in our approximately 700 square foot apartment to protect him from insect bites. The constant exposure to pests poses a significant health risk to both of us.

7. **Lack of Support and Compassion:** The management's dismissive attitude and lack of compassion have been incredibly disheartening. They fail to acknowledge the psychological and physical toll their negligence has on me and my son.

Legal Grounds:

According to Florida Statute 83.51(2)(a), landlords are required to comply with health, safety, and building codes and maintain the property in a habitable condition, which includes controlling pest infestations. The current living conditions at Addison Farms Apartments violate these statutes, and the management's refusal to address these issues is unacceptable.

Definition of Infestation:

An infestation is defined as the presence of an unusually large number of insects or animals in a place, typically so as to cause damage or disease. This aligns with my experience, as I have killed 1-3 spiders a week with bug spray, sprayed all over the apartment, killed 2-3 crickets per day, heard chirping through the night, and seen random dead bugs on the ground. Despite these efforts, the infestation persists, severely limiting my son's freedom and putting his health at risk.

**Call to Action:**

I urge you to support my petition to demand that Addison Farms Apartments take immediate action to:

1. **Address the infestation problem:** Implement a NEW professional pest control measures to ensure a safe and habitable living environment.
   2. **Provide financial assistance:** Cover the costs associated with moving to a new apartment or compensate for the inconvenience and health risks caused by their negligence.
   3. **Improve communication and support:** Foster a compassionate and responsive management team that prioritizes residents' health and well-being and not just the safety of the 3rd party trash collection agency or the ease of keeping all rules the same for all residents.

Your support can help bring about the necessary changes to ensure that no other family has to endure what we have gone through. Sign this petition to stand up for safe and habitable living conditions and to hold Addison Farms Apartments accountable for their undue hardship on a single mother who just wants her son to be safe free from living in an environment that puts his life and her sanity at risk.

Thank you for your support. We sincerely hope effective change or compensation to relocate is achieved, if not we will have no choice, but to leave without securing a new home for us. Ultimately, if my son is alive and well, risking homelessness is worth it. The issue is, is it FAIR and is it RIGHT? Do we deserve to be homeless? What did I do wrong this this time as a mom? Is this my fault too? This will be another encounter that I will have to work tirelessly to overcome. The guilt and shame of my inability to fulfill my role as Andrew's mom. Again, how much can a mother bare mentally, physically, and financially?

P.S. If I lose this battle, can you all (someone, somewhere) ensure that my fight doesn't fall on deaf ears and that my son will have a chance at living the life he so rightfully deserves. We appreciate you, whoever you are.

Love, Felicia and Baby Andrew

1876 Star Anise Circle, Apopka, FL 32703