FL Apartment Complex Still Owes $350K On Past-Due Water Bill 1 Month After Notice

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Nearly a month after receiving water shut-off notices from the city over past-due water bills at two apartment community properties in St. Petersburg, the company that owns both complexes still owes the city about $350,000 for one of them.

The city initially issued delinquency letters from the Billing and Collections Department to Texas-based Lurin Real Estate Holdings LXIV LLC for Elements on Third, 3201 3rd Ave. N., and The Morgan, 5473 27th Street S., on July 24, Samantha Bequer, the city’s public information officer, wrote in an email to Patch.

The city threatened to turn off the water at both properties on Aug. 21 if the balances weren't paid.

Delinquency notices, warning of the impending shutoff, were also delivered to every unit at each property — 304 units at The Morgan and 436 at Elements on Third — on Aug. 1.

Lurin owed the city about $256,000 across five accounts for Elements on Third and about $453,000 to two accounts associated with The Morgan for water, wastewater, sanitation, and stormwater services at the time the July 24 letter was sent, documents provided by the city show.

The company made partial payments after receiving the notices and has made additional payments since then, Bequer said.

As of Tuesday, the full outstanding balance for the Elements on Third was paid. That apartment complex “is no longer at risk for an interruption of service at the property,” Bequer said.

The Morgan is a different story, as Lurin still owes about $350,000 for two accounts at the property, she said.

“To date, Lurin Real Estate has paid $147,416.37 toward the Morgan’s outstanding balance. While the deadline for this payment is Aug. 21, the city understands residents are concerned about an interruption of service. We want to be clear — an interruption of services is a last resort action for the city,” she said.

City officials are also encouraging tenants at The Morgan to consider finding new housing, Bequer said. “While the city may not take immediate action to suspend services on Aug. 21, residents at this property are strongly encouraged to begin exploring alternative housing solutions as soon as possible.”

She added, “Our priority right now is ensuring residents have the information they need to make the best decisions for their household about their living situation.”

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She encourages residents at The Morgan to learn about resources available to them through St. Pete’s Guide for Renters.

Lurin’s ownership team provided a statement about the status of the past-due water bills to Patch through the company’s spokesperson, Ed Cafasso.

“We are pleased to have completely avoided any service disruptions for households at The Elements, as we had promised. We continue to work constructively with the City regarding its records for water use at The Morgan. We hope to resolve that issue as well, again without any impact on residents. The comfort and well being of our residents are our top priorities, and we thank them for their patience as we move past these challenges to make sure they have safe, comfortable apartment homes,” the statement reads.

In an Aug. 14 email to tenants, which was provided to Patch by a resident who asked to remain anonymous, management at The Morgan said they were dealing with the matter but that “there are some unusual spikes in billing that we need to understand before payment can occur.”

The resident who provided the email said she doesn’t “have any faith” in Lurin at this point.

“I don’t have any hope,” she told Patch.

Like other tenants, she pays $75 a month to Lurin for water, wastewater, sanitation, and stormwater services, she said, and has one question: “Where did it all go?”

With about two months left on her current lease, she’s already signed to renew it for another year. But with all of the recent issues with the delinquent water bills and other maintenance concerns, she’s hoping she can get out of her new lease without any penalties.

In the meantime, she’s waiting to see what happens Thursday, which is the deadline for the past-due amount to be paid to the city in full and the threatened water shut-off date.

“I should fill up the toilet and tub with water before then, fill up buckets,” she said. “It’s like preparing for a damn hurricane. I need a rain barrel out here.”