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
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
14 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Now 'Seriously Considering' Pardon For Sean Combs Ahead Of Sentencing; White House Officially Says Nothing
EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump is heavily weighing giving Sean 'Diddy' Combs a full presidential pardon ahead of the convicted Bad Boy Records founder's sentencing later this year. Nearly two months after Trump publicly entertained the notion of a Diddy pardon in an Oval Office gaggle, a comprehensive get out of jail card for Combs is being 'seriously considered,' an administration source tells Deadline. More from Deadline Trump Celebrity Supporters: Famous Folks In Favor Of The 47th President Diddy Tries Again To Get A $50M Get Outta Jail Card As Sentencing & Appeal Looms; 'Sean Combs Should Not Be In Jail For This Conduct' Donald Trump Takes On Late-Night Hosts, Again Additionally, as several associates of the much-accused and currently incarcerated 'All About the Benjamins' performer have been pitching the White House, other insiders confirm the topic has leveled up from 'just another Trump weave to an actionable event' since Combs was found partially guilty in the his NYC sex-trafficking trial earlier this month. Of course, as a number of parties attest, this being the roller coaster of Trumpworld, any decision on a Combs pardon is in flux until POTUS actually puts his signature on paper. RELATED: Repeatedly denied a $50 million bond and release from Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center since his arrest last September, Combs could end up spending two to three years in a federal prison upon his sentencing on October 3 by Judge Arun Subramanian. Any sentence certainly would include time already served by Combs. Even with that, and the feds seeking the maximum under sentencing guidelines, an appeal is widely expected to be launched by the 10-attorney-deep defense almost immediately after sentencing occurs. Contacted by Deadline, Combs' defense team led by Marc Agnifilo and Teny Gerago had 'no comment' on any pardon talk for their client. While a number of individuals close to Combs both personally and professionally have been very active in seeking White House recourse for the Grammy winner, the defense team itself has had no significant participation in the process, I hear. Up on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the reply was that 'the White House will not comment on the existence or nonexistence of any clemency request,' according to an administration official. RELATED: With a damning verdict for the U.S. Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York delivered by a federal jury on July 2 after an eight-week sex-trafficking trial, Combs escaped the most severe of the criminal charges he was facing. Even before the mixed verdict came in, Trump exclaimed on May 30 that when it came to a Diddy pardon, he 'would certainly look at the facts if I think somebody was mistreated, whether they like me or don't like me.' Once big on Trump, Combs became quite critical of him during the Republican's first term and endorsed Joe Boden in 2020. Before that, Trump and Combs had known each other for decades, with the former bluntly calling the latter a 'good friend' in 2012. Soon after hitting stardom, the often-ostentatious Combs was a regular on the 1990s and 2000s Manhattan party and charity circuit and often came into contact with Trump, who moved in similar circles. In the Season 12 premiere of The Apprentice, Trump told a reticent ex-Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day that he thought her former boss was 'a good guy, I'm going to stick up for him.' Asserting in May of this year that 'no one has asked' for a pardon for Combs, Trump added, 'I know people are thinking about it' as the May 12-starting trial went on. Jumping into the fray after weeks of trolling Combs, Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson vowed to stop any pardon. 'I'm gonna reach out so he knows how I feel about this guy,' the Trump-friendly rap star May 31 posted on social media. RELATED: Weeks later, after hearing harrowing testimony of drug-fueled 'freak off' sex sessions and violence from ex-girlfriends 'Jane' and a very pregnant Cassie Ventura, as well as ex-staffers, male escorts and law enforcement, the jury of four women and eight men only convicted Combs on the charges of transportation to engage in prostitution. Avoiding a likely life sentence, the 55-year-old Combs was declared not guilty in early July of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. The result laid bare the clear overreach and shortcomings of the Maurene Comey-led prosecutors' legal strategy, as well as the power of celebrity in American justice. This week, Combs' defense lawyers again requested that their client be let out of his confinement. Yet again, an offer of a $50 million bond was put on the table, as were restrictions on Combs' travel and who he interacts with. Earlier this month, Judge Subramanian gave the prosecution and the defense a July 30 deadline to put together a detailed package on letting Combs out for the roughly 60 days before sentencing. It looks like that proposal will not be a joint proposal from the parties, though more documents from the defense might show up in the docket in the next 24 hours. RELATED: Oval Office consideration of a Combs pardon has grown in recent days, I'm told by multiple sources. The increased interest also comes as the distraction-politics-advocating POTUS faces an uprising by his MAGA base over the continued reluctance on the part of the Department of Justice to make public promised files on now-dead sex offender and former Trump pal Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has even turned on enduring ally Rupert Murdoch with a $10 billion lawsuit after the Fox News owner's Wall Street Journal published a piece on July 18 on the president and Epstein's friendship. The well-connected millionaire was indicted in 2019 on sex trafficking charges and more involving underage women. As a point of contention for some who disbelieve the official suicide conclusion, Epstein died suddenly in custody in New York before his trial could begin. RELATED: Not long after the Combs' verdict was announced and as the Epstein flip fallout exploded, lead prosecutor Comey — daughter of ex-FBI director and Trump foe James Comey — was brusquely fired from the SDNY after years of service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. In a July 18 statement on her exit, ex-Epstein prosecutor Comey never mentioned Trump by name, but left no doubt who she was referring to when she said: 'Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought.' Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery Solve the daily Crossword


New York Post
16 minutes ago
- New York Post
Trump tells Sen. Chuck Grassley to ‘step up,' get rid of ‘ridiculous custom' holding up judicial appointments
President Trump urged Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday to 'step up' and end a 'ridiculous custom' that allows senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. 'Chuck Grassley, who I got re-elected to the US Senate when he was down, by a lot, in the Great State of Iowa, could solve the 'Blue Slip' problem we are having with respect to the appointment of Highly Qualified Judges and U.S. Attorneys, with a mere flick of the pen,' Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. The president argued that under the 'blue slip' tradition, blue state Democratic senators 'have an ironclad stoppage of Great Republican Candidates.' Advertisement 3 President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to call on Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley to allow senators to block judicial nominees for courts in their states. AP 'Put simply, the President of the United States will never be permitted to appoint the person of his choice because of an ancient, and probably Unconstitutional, 'CUSTOM,'' Trump fumed. Since at least 1917, the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has traditionally sent blue-colored forms to the two senators representing the home state of US attorney, circuit or district court nominees selected by the president. Advertisement Under the so-called 'blue slip' tradition, which has been applied inconsistently over the years, if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by committee. For example, New Jersey Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim recently withheld their 'blue slips' to block the Senate Judiciary Committee from considering Trump's onetime personal attorney, Alina Habba, for the top prosecutor spot in the Garden State. Since she hasn't been confirmed, Habba is currently serving as acting New Jersey US attorney. 'The only way to beat this Hoax is to appoint a Democrat or, a weak and ineffective Republican,' Trump argued. Advertisement 3 Trump's lengthy post mentioned Grassley could solve this problem, 'with a mere flick of the pen.' Trump Truth Social 'Therefore, I would never be able to appoint Great Judges or U.S. Attorneys in California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, and other places, where there is, coincidentally, the highest level of crime and corruption — The places where fantastic people are most needed!' 'Senator Grassley must step up,' the president demanded, claiming that under former President Joe Biden the Senate Judiciary Committee 'openly broke' tradition 'at least two times.' Trump called on Grassley to scrap the 'blue slip' tradition 'IMMEDIATELY, and not let the Democrats laugh at him and the Republican Party for being weak and ineffective.' 3 President Trump wants Grassley to end the 'blue slip' tradition, which is the notion that if the senators withhold the slips or return them with a negative review of the nominee, the president's pick is not considered by the committee. AP Advertisement 'The Democrats have broken this ridiculous custom on us, it's time that we break it on them,' Trump reasoned. 'Chuck, I know you have the Courage to do this, DO IT!' A spokesperson for Grassley did not immediately respond to The Post's request for comment.


Los Angeles Times
16 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
California's top prosecutor floats pathway to boost Democrats in Congress
California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta said Tuesday that he believes there is a 'legal pathway' for Democrats to present new congressional district maps directly to voters on a statewide ballot, without input from the state's independent redistricting commission. Such a move, he suggested, would allow the state to counter Republican efforts to tilt next year's midterm election by pushing redistricting measures that favor the GOP in conservative states such as Texas. If successful, Republicans would have a better chance of holding their slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives and protecting President Trump's ability to enact his agenda. 'I think the governor could call a special election that the voters of the state of California would participate in, and present to them a pathway forward that's different than the independent redistricting commission, that has maps presented to them ready [and] tangible and specific, and then the people vote,' Bonta said, adding that his staff had been discussing the matter with Gov. Gavin Newsom's team. Republicans, who probably would lose seats if such a ballot measure was approved, were dubious of Bonta's claim and argued that it is harmful to democracy. GOP Assembly Leader James Gallagher criticized Bonta's proposal as a 'strange legal theory to undermine CA voters.' 'It's undemocratic, it's wrong, and it needs to be stopped,' Gallagher said in a social media post Tuesday evening. 'If they move forward in this fashion they will rip the state and this nation apart.' Bonta provided few details about a potential ballot measure aside from saying that new district boundaries could be drawn by the state Legislature and presented to voters in a special election. The measure would ask voters to rescind the power they granted to an independent redistricting commission, at least temporarily. Presenting maps directly to voters is viewed as an effort to sway Californians who may be leery of letting the Legislature redraw the districts after they vote, according to redistricting experts. The governor's office declined to say whether Newsom intends to ask the Legislature to put a map of the proposed districts on the ballot. His team said it is continuing to explore the two pathways he previously outlined — either having state lawmakers redraw the maps, which probably would face legal challenges, or placing the matter on the statewide ballot for California voters to decide. Redistricting — the esoteric process of redrawing political boundaries — typically occurs once a decade, after the U.S. Census tallies population shifts across the nation. But it's in the news because Trump — potentially facing the loss of the slim GOP majority in the House — urged Texas to redraw its congressional districts middecade to elect more Republicans in the 2026 midterm election so he can press his agenda during his final two years in office. California lawmakers, like those in most states, used to gerrymander political boundaries to favor political parties and protect incumbents, often leading to bizarrely shaped districts with voters who sometimes had little in common. But in 2010, voters overwhelmingly passed a ballot measure to create an independent redistricting commission that focused on drawing congressional districts that consolidated communities of interest, respected minority voting rights and geographically made sense. The state Republican and Democratic parties opposed the effort because it eroded their power. Now, after the Trump administration is urging GOP states to redraw district lines in a manner that would shore up their party's control of Congress, Democrats are fighting back. In California, a partisan redrawing of the districts could net their party a half-dozen seats in the state's 52-member delegation, which currently has nine Republicans. Several steps would have to occur before any such potential change could be presented to the electorate, notably that the Legislature would have to approve placing the matter before voters in a special election and draw new maps in a compressed schedule. Legal challenges are likely. 'Generally, when the people vote on something, if it's going to be changed in a significant way and not have additional steps taken by the Legislature in furtherance of what the people voted for, then the people need to vote for that change,' Bonta said, after being asked about the matter during a news conference. His office was working to 'have confidence and assurance that there is a legal pathway for California to take action in response to any action that Texas takes. ... We want to be confident that it was done lawfully originally, and that we can defend it appropriately in court.'