Florida congressman facing eviction lived in luxury with 'magnificent views'
Property managers say U.S. Rep. Cory Mills' rent is $20,833 a month. And what does that buy?
A "light-filled home" with "premium finishes and magnificent views of the city, its iconic monuments and the Potomac," the building website states. "All with the services and amenities of a world-class hotel and central location."
The National Mall is a couple of blocks away. The White House is 1.5 miles away. The Capitol Building is less than two miles to the east.
In terms of living expenses, Florida's 7th District is distant.
Online cost-of-living calculators suggest the D.C. metro area is more than 40% more expensive than Daytona Beach. Websites that track housing costs, such as Apartments.com and Zillow put the average rental unit at between $2,300 and $2,600 a month.
Mills is a Republican who maintains a separate residence in New Smyrna Beach. He represents Seminole and southern Volusia counties in the 7th District.
Why is Cory Mills facing eviction?
Parcel 47F, LLC, the owner of Mills' building, is the plaintiff in a complaint for possession of real property filed on July 9, in a D.C. courthouse. It alleges Mills didn't pay more than $85,000 in rent between March and July, according to documents filed by Bozzuto Management Company − acting on behalf of the owner.
Even before that, on Jan. 22, the property manager provided Mills with a "notice to pay rent" and "notice of intent to file a lawsuit." That document states he owed $18,229.05 and that he must pay that amount by Feb. 26 or vacate the apartment. Bozzuto included a ledger of fees and payments showing Mills had consistently paid his rent late, racking up nearly $15,000 in late fees over the previous 18 months.
A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Sept. 8.
What has Cory Mills said about the eviction case?
Mills hadn't responded in court records as of July 17. He used social media to attack the first reporter to break the story about the eviction notice, Roger Sollenberger, who posted documents on X on July 14.
In response, Mills wrote: "Facts are a finicky thing, but wouldn't expect you to be anything other than a biased hack!"
Mills also posted what he suggested was proof of his attempt to make payments but they "failed to process." He posted screenshots of emails dated June 17 and July 3.
But Mills has not directly addressed the substance of the landlord's complaint, that he hasn't been paying his rent and owes more than $85,000.
He joined an X Spaces chat later on July 14, vowing: "I'm not going to continue to take these biased hacks who write these fake news journalist articles with zero input from the actual person they're attacking because they don't want to hear to the truth. You don't want to hear the truth? You don't want to ask? Don't worry, because I'm going to deliver it to you, anyway."
Mills also hasn't responded to requests for comment from The News-Journal.
What is near Southwest Federal Center?
Mills' penthouse is in the Southwest Federal Center neighborhood, not far from the Jefferson Memorial at the foot of the 14th Street Bridge. That span crosses the Potomac River to Virginia, where the Pentagon is located. To the building's north, the National Mall and Washington Monument are within walking distance. The apartment is within two miles of the U.S. Capitol Building, where Mills serves in the House of Representatives.
What are some of the amenities of a $20,000-per-month home?
The building advertises private elevators for penthouse and sky suite residences "for discrete comings and goings." Windows look out over the District of Columbia, the Potomac River and Virginia. Open-plan concepts "offer chef kitchens with bold Italian cabinetry, Calacatta quartz countertops with full-height backsplashes and waterfall edges, and premier Thermador appliances."
The $220 million building was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects and features 373 residences. Units include one-, two- and three-bedroom plans, ranging in space from 582 to 3,392 square feet.
It also has a "rooftop oasis outfitted with an infinity pool, two expansive club rooms showcasing the property's one-of-kind views, a private board room equipped with conference capabilities, catering kitchen, a walking 360-degree 'Sky Track,' Capitol Overlook with a NanaWall, five semiprivate, fully landscaped outdoor living rooms with grilling stations, outdoor media space, three fire pits with seating and a piano lounge," according to a news release.
What is Cory Mills' net worth?
Mills had a financial disclosure form due, as required by law, on May 15. He filed for an extension, making his next disclosure due on Aug. 13.
On Aug. 13, 2024, Mills filed a financial disclosure for the year 2023, but did not disclose any earnings − including his $174,000 congressional salary − other than commercial real-estate rental income for a building in Perry. The document only lists a range of between $100,001 and $1 million.
In March 2023, Mills filed an amended disclosure to presumably clear up a discrepancy in his previous two filings. Mills earned $310,271 from his business, Pacem Solutions International, in 2022, while his spouse, Rana Al Saadi earned $233,469 from the same business, the document shows. Mills also collected rental income in the same range as 2023. It stated he had earned $587,248 from the business in the first two months of 2023, the year he entered the House.
Quiver Quantitative, a website offering investors data, estimates Mills' net worth at $24 million, based on property and corporate ownership interests. However, Mills has said he is going through a divorce from his second wife, so it's unclear whether that matter is final and what assets he currently holds.
Mills is also at the center of a House Ethics Committee investigation. Documents show the congressman may have omitted or misrepresented information on financial disclosures, accepted excessive campaign contributions, and benefited from government contracts while in office.
Also, D.C. Metro Police on Feb. 19 responded to the congressman's penthouse after his live-in girlfriend initially complained that an unnamed person used his "hands/feet" during an assault. She later said bruising on her arms was caused by a medical condition. Metro Police say they sent an arrest warrant to the U.S. District Attorney's Office, but it was never signed. Thus, Mills has not been charged and he "vehemently denies any wrongdoing," according to a statement from his office.
Political fallout for Cory Mills?
Mills' 7th District seat is currently being sought by three Democratic candidates, while the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is actively seeking to unseat him.
Madison Andrus, the DCCC's southern regional press secretary, attacked the congressman in a July 17 email for voting in favor of the reconciliation bill that the Kaiser Family Foundation estimates will reduce federal Medicaid spending by $1 trillion and increase the number of uninsured people by nearly 12 million.
"While Mills has been living lavishly in D.C., he recently voted to cut the very programs his own constituents rely on," Andrus wrote. "In his district alone, over 51,000 people are at risk of losing their health care and more than 30,000 households rely on SNAP for food assistance."
On his X Spaces appearance, Mills at one point appeared to acknowledge his fallibility.
"I'm a real person. If you think that every single thing that everyone in Congress does or the White House or the Senate or anything else ... has a polished, shiny background who's never made any mistakes or done wrong, well, guess what? Wake up," he said. "At the end of the day, I'm not going to continue to pretend to be something or try to be something that I'm not."
He added, though, that he's being targeted for a reason.
"If they're smearing you, they're attacking you, they're coming after you, guess what? That must mean that you're doing something that scares them or you're trying to do something that disrupts status quo," Mills said. "That's what we have to do in D.C., is disrupt status quo."
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Cory Mills may need to leave 'magnificent views' behind if evicted
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