At first glance, the 15-acre Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Florida, looks like a rundown neighborhood in need of a face-lift. But to the residents, many of them Hispanic and Haitian immigrants, this close-knit community was home.
In this Monday, June 13, 2016 photo, Clairmise Blanc, 72, walks through the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Nelly Shirley, 74, won a beautification award in 2003 for creating a lush, tropical garden surrounding her mobile home of 22 years. Clairmise Blanc, 72, was known as the “mayor of Little Farm” for keeping a log on the goings on at the trailer park. She reminisces about the nearly 10 years spent living in her home with her husband before he passed away. Carole Hatcher, 54, calls her mobile home “a paradise.” She had envisioned spending her golden years here.
They and other residents of Little Farm have moved since being evicted when the park was purchased in 2015 by Wealthy Delight LLC. The site is in preliminary planning for a mixed-use development. Residents were given more than one year to move out before the park was shut down July 31.
A group of mobile home owners received an $8,000 settlement per household, after a lawsuit alleged that El Portal violated the Florida Mobile Home Act, which mandates that relocation studies must be conducted ahead of closure agreements.
In an area of South Florida known for its glitzy, luxurious condo towers, affordable rental housing is hard to come by. Many of the residents of Little Farm work low-wage jobs or are retirees on fixed incomes. Residents who couldn’t find housing are living with friends or family as they wait for availability of Section 8 housing. The trailer park will be razed.
In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Clairmise Blanc, 72, reminiscences about her life as she packs her belongings to move from the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. Blanc, who has lived in the trailer she owns for eight years, says it’s important to fight for your rights, and to not push poor people around. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, the personal belongings of Clairmise Blanc sit on a sofa as she packs to move from the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Wednesday, June 22, 2016 photo, Clairmise Blanc, 72, left, talks with Francois Alexandre, right, during a weekly meeting for residents of the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Monday, June 13, 2016 photo, graffiti is written on the side of a mobile home at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Tuesday, July 12, 2016 photo, Nelly Shirley, 74, poses outside of her mobile home at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Tuesday, July 12, 2016 photo, a tree grows onto the side of a mobile home at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, Dolores Lopez, 58, right, pets her dog, Bella, as her son, Roan Pacheco, left, loads a truck with her belongings to move from the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
This Tuesday, July 12, 2016 photo shows a bent street sign at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Tuesday, July 12, 2016 photo, Carole Hatcher, 54, stands on the front porch of her mobile home at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Monday, June 13, 2016 photo, a duck sits near a discarded toilet and steps at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Saturday, July 30, 2016 photo, friends load a truck with the belongings of resident Clairmise Blanc at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Monday, Aug. 29, 2016 photo, a padlock secures a fence blocking entry to the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
In this Tuesday, June 14, 2016 photo, residents of the Little Farm trailer park pose for a group photo in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
This Monday, Aug. 29, 2016 photo shows debris from a mobile home at the Little Farm trailer park in El Portal, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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AP Images is the world’s largest collection of historical andcontemporary photos. AP Images provides instant access to AP's iconic photos and adds new content every minute of every day from every corner of the world, making it an essential source of photos and graphics for professional imagebuyers and commercial customers. Whether your needs are for editorial, commercial, or personal use, AP Images has the content and the expert sales team to fulfill your image requirements. Visit apimages.com to learn more.
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One thought on “Evicted at Trailer Park “Paradise,” Residents Seek New Homes”