Latest news with #JimWoods
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Outrage as seniors are 'kicked out' of their homes in retirement mecca to make way for luxury housing boom
A senior living facility in Florida is under fire for 'evicting' elderly residents to secretly make way for upscale luxury apartments as the infamous retirement hot spot undergoes a baby boom transformation. Oasis Living Quarters, a senior care facility in Fort Lauderdale, came under intense scrutiny in March after allegedly telling some of its 180 residents they'd have to leave their homes without giving proper notice or obtaining the correct permits, Local 10 News reported. The facility is now facing massive fines after a building inspector discovered construction he described as being 'much like hotel rooms' while many of the seniors are still living at the facility. City officials are slapping Oasis with $1000 daily fines for 'unpermitted construction' - work they claim is a covert effort to capitalize on demand for luxury housing in sun-soaked Fort Lauderdale. In a city long considered a paradise for retirees, a wave of anger and disbelief has been rising among residents and their families, many of whom are elderly and need extra care. 'It's heart-wrenching,' Jim Woods, whose mother was forced out of the facility in April, told CBS News. 'Some residents don't know what's going on.' On March 5, Oasis residents were summoned to an emergency meeting where management abruptly informed them that they had until the end of the month to vacate. The change left many feeling 'blindsided' and unprepared for such a sudden upheaval, with families demanding answers from building management. 'We are all depressed,' Alonso and Patseta Lawhorn, who have lived at the Oasis facility for more than eight years, told NBC Miami News in March. 'Some people had to go to the hospital and some people got sick,' they added. 'I suffer from hypertension and I have one kidney and my spleen is out and my husband suffers from PTSD, and everybody is all stressed and sick.' According to residents, all units of the facility - Independent Living, Assisted Living and the Memory Care Unit - were impacted in the mass move. 'We have to move out because they are dismantling the memory care unit,' Steven DeLeon, whose 83-year-old family member lives there, told NBC. Milton Amengual, whose 94-year-old mother had only moved into the facility three months prior to the 'mandatory' meeting, also joined other families grappling with the shock. 'My mother is nervous. She hasn't slept in a few days just thinking about the fact that she has to move,' Amengual told Local 10. According to Oasis, the move was because the facility would be undergoing renovations to 'enhance the overall experience' (pictured: letter from Oasis management about renovations) 'She at first thought she did something wrong - but I said, no you didn't do anything wrong.' According to Oasis, the move was because the facility would be undergoing renovations to 'enhance the overall experience'. However, just days later, moving trucks and vans were already filling the facility's parking lot, concealing torn-out drywall and beginning to remodel units - all while residents were still in the process of finding new homes. Last month, Fort Lauderdale building inspector Andrew Gebbia visited the facility in response to multiple complaints about the treatment of elderly residents. During that visit, he uncovered unpermitted construction tied to the controversial conversion into Waterview Rental, prompting a scathing 30-page report that outlined dozens of violations. The work, Gebbia explained, involved the 'replacement of kitchenettes, structural plumbing and electrical, and replacement of split-unit ACs', as reported by Local 10. 'As I walked through the building, I observed renovations being done in a number of rooms, much like hotel rooms,' Gebbia said, Local 10 reported. 'There were no permits issued for this work, so I issued a stop work order, left it on the counter in the main entrance,' he added. The released state inspection report detailed a series of unusual exchanges between inspector Gebbia and Oasis administrator Steven Gottlieb, raising further questions about the facility's conduct. While Gebbia accused the facility of kicking out residents while secretly converting the complex into luxury apartments, Gottlieb denied that any evictions had taken place, as reported by the outlet. Instead, the administrator blamed the departure of residents since the inspector's last visit to natural deaths and rude nursing staff, rather than any forced evictions. Also last month, Oasis was hit with a court injunction over the alleged evictions, after a civil court judge sided with a grieving attorney who had been advocating for the vulnerable seniors, as reported by Local 10 News. On April 2, Broward County Circuit Judge William W. Haury, Jr. issued a court order requiring Oasis to stop evicting residents. The facility's attorneys requested that he overturn the order - which he didn't. Oasis was also facing citations from the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration for violating rules meant to protect residents. On Tuesday, it was announced that the senior living facility will now be fined $1,000 a day by the city if they don't come into compliance within 15 days. 'To me, this is why I'm so aggressive with this particular case,' Fort Lauderdale Building Committee Vice Chair Donald Karney III said during a meeting Tuesday morning, Local 10 reported. 'They've done these people extremely dirty and that's why I'm being such a stick in the mud about it.' Karney also declared that he's 'going after big money for the city and giving them the same amount of time they gave these poor old people to get out of their places they call homes'. With just 15 days to comply, many believe Oasis has no realistic chance of meeting the deadline, which could mean mounting fines soaring into the tens of thousands - potentially exceeding $100,000, the outlet reported. Notably, the Oasis administrator skipped Tuesday's meeting, but members are demanding his presence at the next one scheduled for July 22. Oasis Living Quarters management did not immediately respond to for comment. Fort Lauderdale, commonly known as a hub for retirees, is now appealing to young families as the city is witnessing a massive baby boom transformation. According to the Downtown Development Authority's recent annual report, there has been an 83 percent increase in families with kids since 2018. In the past five years, there has been a 47 percent increase in families with children under five years old migrating to the sunny area. New data also suggests that families have chosen to flock to the downtown area because of its $10 million infrastructure expansio n, including the renovation of Huizenga Park and its enhanced dining scene. Young families have also found that the area is a bit cheaper than that of nearby West Palm Beach or Miami, where the average rent is $3,000 a month, compared to $2621 in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘He preyed on us': Pennsylvania woman scammed out of $45,000 in sophisticated ‘dealership cloning' scheme
When Adrianna Parsons and her husband found a shiny Lexus SUV listed for sale on CARFAX, they thought they were in safe hands. 'It all looked very legitimate at first glance,' said Parsons, a resident of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The vehicle was listed for $46,000 and linked to a dealership called Specialty Auto in Lincoln, Nebraska. Concerned about buying a car from a dealership 1,400 miles away, Parsons called the number listed on the website and spoke with a man claiming to be the owner, Jim Woods. 'He played the role. He preyed on us. He knew that I was worried. My gut was telling me to stop. I didn't listen to it well enough,' she shared with ABC 6 Action News. The man offered to send a custom video of the SUV — what Parsons called a 'cold video' — to confirm he had the car. Reassured, the couple agreed to wire $45,000. The SUV never arrived. What Parsons didn't know was that the man wasn't the real Jim Woods — and the website wasn't legitimate. Though Jim Woods does own a dealership by that name, he told ABC 6 he doesn't sell cars online and has no internet presence. Multiple other victims have since contacted him with similar stories. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 5 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) The scam that ensnared Parsons is a sophisticated form of fraud called dealership cloning. Scammers replicate the name, location, and even employee details of real dealerships to create convincing fake websites. They then upload fake listings to platforms like CARFAX, Facebook Marketplace, or Craigslist, often using stolen images and real VINs. Despite being a trusted resource, CARFAX listings aren't immune to scams. When reached for comment, the company declined to explain how it vets dealer listings. In a statement, it said, "If CARFAX is made aware of a potentially fraudulent listing, the team acts swiftly to investigate and remove [it].' Since Action News began investigating, the fake Specialty Auto website has been taken down. Local police and the Nebraska DMV are investigating. The FBI has also been alerted. Still, Parsons says the loss was 'cataclysmic' for her family. Read more: You're probably already overpaying for this 1 'must-have' expense — and thanks to Trump's tariffs, your monthly bill could soar even higher. Here's how 2 minutes can protect your wallet right now As more car sales move online, so do the risks. Here's how to protect yourself: Verify the seller: Confirm the dealership's website URL and call the dealership. Be wary of inconsistent contact details, slight misspellings or prices that are too good to be true. You can also search the dealership's name alongside terms like 'scam' or 'fraud' to find any complaints. Avoid risky payments: Never wire money, pay with gift cards, or send cryptocurrency. Instead, use a credit card or a reputable escrow service that holds the funds until the vehicle is delivered and verified. Get proof of the car: Ask for a custom video to prove the seller has the vehicle. Order a VIN report independently and cross-check it with photos and seller info. If buying remotely, hire an independent mechanic to inspect the vehicle in person. Trust your instincts: If a deal feels too good to be true, it probably is. In Parsons' case, her intuition told her to walk away but the scammer's smooth demeanor made her second-guess herself. With many legitimate dealerships and platforms moving their business online, the burden increasingly falls on consumers to vet who they're buying from and whether the transaction is a possible scam. Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
CBS News
24-03-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Fort Lauderdale assisted living facility to convert to apartments, displacing residents
Jim Woods is relieved that his 93-year-old mother, Gerri Woods, is settling into her new home at Parkside Memory Care in Tamarac, but the transition was not by choice. Gerri Woods, who has dementia, was recently forced to leave her home of nearly ten years at Oasis Living Quarters on West Commercial Boulevard in Fort Lauderdale. "I wasn't getting a signal that they were changing their business profile, but I saw a change in the level of care and that concerned me," Jim Woods said. Over the past six months, he noticed staff reductions and less interaction with residents. Then, without warning, a notice about a meeting appeared on his mother's door. That's when Woods and about 180 other assisted living residents learned they would have to move out by early April. Oasis Living Quarters is converting its units into apartments. Some sections had already been transitioned in recent years. "It's heart-wrenching. Some residents don't know what's going on," Woods said. When CBS News Miami visited Oasis to speak with the owners, a manager declined to comment on the changes. Meanwhile, at Parkside Memory Care, owner Seema Lakhani said they have already relocated six former Oasis residents, including Gerri Woods. Her facility, which opened three weeks ago, offers state-of-the-art dementia care. Residents pay an average of $6,000 per month, including Medicaid coverage, for 24/7 care. The facility features furnished rooms, a hair and nail salon, a physical therapy center and a range of individual and group activities. Lakhani said the need for memory care is rising. "Baby boomers are aging and need memory care, but it's also happening in the younger generation, so the need is for both elderly and middle-aged individuals," she said. Meanwhile, a relative of an Oasis resident has filed court paperwork in an attempt to halt the evictions.
