S. Florida Squatters Expand Housing Search Into High-End Neighborhoods; Family Hijacks Foreclosed Waterfront Home; Lender's Agent Caught Flat-Footed

In Coral Gables, Florida, WTVJ-TV Channel 6 reports:

• Miami's squatter problem has garnered national media attention over the past year and a half, as the foreclosure crisis threatened to transform the Magic City into something resembling a lawless, "Mad Max"-esque landscape. The squatters mostly kept a low profile, moving in [...] to neighborhoods where they could take over unnoticed.

• But now come reports that squatters are seeking out more ritzy neighborhoods, including the pricey, tree-lined streets of Coral Gables. "They seem to be squatters, I don't think that they pay rent. I don't think that they own the house, the house is in total disrepair," said Gables by the Sea resident Bruce Hornik, who said he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a family set up shop in the waterfront neighborhood. [...] The bank which owns the property hired a realtor to sell it last month, and the realtor said they have no idea who could be staying in the home.

For more, see Ritzy Gables Pad Plays Host to Squatters (Residents say free-home seekers took over waterfront home).