Osceola County fences off Star Motel as some residents say they cannot leave

OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Even after the troubled Star Motel on 192 near Kissimmee has been deemed unsafe and its utilities disconnected, a handful of residents still refuse to leave.

Osceola County has workers out Tuesday building a fence around the property to keep people away.

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The motel’s owner, Natina Conley, said she’s trying to raise money online to renovate 20 rooms to show Osceola County this is a great place for transitional housing.

“The minimum, if I pull $125,000 up to par, be able to house people,” Conley said. “There’s no electricity and no water, but it’s still their home.”

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Conley said she owns the Star Motel and neighboring Lake Cecile Inn businesses, but not the buildings.

The buildings have several code violations and were deemed unsafe.

The county writes a “grass roots approach” doesn’t eliminate years of issues.

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These include more than $14,000 in owed electric bills, another $90,000 for water and more than $221,000 in unpaid taxes, according to the tax collector’s office website.

Some residents said they don’t have anywhere else to go. Many don’t have family and say other places are too expensive.

See the full report in the video above.

Cox Media Group