Rent Skimming Landlord Facing Foreclosure Arrested For Stealing Electricity; Utility Shutoff Leaves Two Dozen Tenants Temporarily Homeless

In Pinellas County, Florida, Newschannel 8 reports:

• A Pinellas County landlord was arrested [last week], accused of stealing electricity from apartments he owns in Clearwater. Lawrence Ayers, 42, of [...] Safety Harbor, was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on a grand theft charge. Ayers dropped out of sight after Progress Energy cut off power to eight residential rental units he owns on Westminister Avenue June 25th. [...] A week before, code inspectors had condemned apartments Ayers owns on Meridian Avenue in Oldsmar because of similar electrical problems. That's where a Pinellas County Sheriff's deputy caught up with him [...].(1)

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(1) Reportedly, cutting the power left as many as two dozen tenants from the Oldsmar and Clearwater rentals temporarily homeless. Most of the people there also had no water because Ayers had rigged a shallow well water pump as their only supply of water for drinking and bathing, according to authorities. Inspectors said the water was not fit for drinking. It had a bright orange color, and tenants said it smelled horribly. Code inspectors cited Ayers for numerous violations. He faces fines of as much as $5,000 a day and has a hearing scheduled Monday on the code violations. Ayers has 11 pending foreclosure actions against his rental properties and his home in Safety Harbor, according to code enforcement officials. RentSigmaSkimming