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Firefighters having to carry residents after broken elevator leaves some retirees stranded for weeks

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Published  August 23, 2024 8:48pm EDT
Lake County
FOX 35 Orlando

Firefighters carry residents after elevator breaks

Residents of a retirement community in Clermont have been unable to use their elevator for nearly two months, leaving many stranded in their homes.

CLERMONT, Fla. - Residents of a retirement community in Clermont have been unable to use their elevator for nearly two months, leaving many stranded in their homes. 

For individuals like Zenobia Dixon, the situation has become dire. Dixon, who relies on oxygen, uses a wheelchair and has various health issues, found herself unable to navigate the stairs when the elevator at her 55-and-up community stopped working.

Dixon rescheduled her appointments initially, but that could only last so long. "It's slowing my progress not to be able to go to physical therapy as regularly as I need," she told FOX 35 News.

Her statement came shortly after Lake County Fire Rescue had to carry her down four flights of stairs. This routine has become all too familiar for Dixon and the firefighters.

"For me, it doesn't make sense to have to call the fire department," Dixon said. "Something more important could be happening."

Lake County Fire Rescue has responded to Oaks on the Lake multiple times over the past few months. A fellow resident, Paula Riley, contacted FOX 35 to bring attention to the issue. "Thank God you all responded," she said.

For Riley, the elevator outage is merely an inconvenience, but for others, it means being trapped in their homes. "It's just unacceptable," Riley said. "One day, 24 hours, five days, seven days — we could see. But not weeks. Not seven weeks! Absolutely not!"

This isn’t the first time FOX 35 has reported on this complex. In May of last year, we reported the elevator was out of service for over three weeks after a lightning strike delayed the delivery of new parts.

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Becca Johnson, another resident, said Oaks on the Lake had blamed the current outage on lighting and a back-ordered part. "It's really sad to see these friendly, nice neighbors struggling to get up and down their apartment to get prescriptions or to go to the grocery store," Johnson said. "It's getting ridiculous."

Property managers have emailed residents, offering to help with groceries if given advance notice and suggesting that people relocate to a different unit in the community if necessary. However, residents argue that the solution is not so simple. 

"They can't physically move themselves, so you've got to hire a company to move your stuff or call your family to come help you," Johnson explained. "Asking us to pick up our lives and move as the only option is ridiculous."

Lake County officials told Fox 35 that Code Enforcement knows the issue and needs to be resolved. However, elevator regulation falls under state jurisdiction. The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has a Bureau of Elevator Safety, which allows residents to file an elevator complaint online or by mail.

Oaks on the Lake management stated they are waiting for a part to arrive before repairs begin, but residents are determined to ensure this problem doesn’t recur.

"It's unacceptable because it's been too long, and it happens too often," Riley said. "To allow your residents to endure all this pain and inconvenience daily? No!"

"I just want the elevator fixed, that's all," Dixon added.

Oaks on the Lake has informed residents that they hope to start work on the elevator sometime next week but acknowledged that there could be other issues after installing the new part.