APOPKA, Fla. | A transgender woman of color and her husband were evicted from their mobile home in Apopka this month and claim discrimination from the Homeowners Association was a factor.
Tiara Kelley, 38, and her husband Robert Kelley, bought their Bayshore Chalet North mobile home in September. The couple bought the mobile home completely in cash, ensuring that their name was on the title of the home, and leased the lot that the mobile home was on with the Chalet North HOA. They had problems from day one, Tiara says. When the Kelleys originally went to sign the lease, Chalet North Community Manager Milagros Jimenez repeatedly asked where Robert’s wife was while Tiara stood next to him. In addition, when Tiara provided a driver’s license for identification, Jimenez stated the photo didn’t look like her.
“The front ladies … are scam artists,” Tiara said in a Facebook post. “The whole thing is about as much money as they can get from you, they do not care about their homeowners or anyone else for that matter.”
According to Bayshore’s website, their goal is “to make home ownership a reality for everyone in a friendly community where you will always feel at home.”
The Kelleys received a notice on Jan. 8 that they were in violation of their rent agreement, despite having paid rent on the due date, two days prior. On Jan. 10, a sheriff arrived and kicked them out. The HOA subsequently changed the lock on the mobile home’s doors.
According to Tiara, Jimenez threatened to throw their furniture out onto the side of the road.
“They said they were being gracious for not doing it,” Tiara says.
Tiara and her husband are presently staying in an extended stay hotel in Orlando on Major Boulevard and are being assisted by Miracle of Love, a nonprofit organization. The couple plan to move to Colorado in about a month, Tiara says.
As of Jan. 22, the Apopka Police Department, Chalet Homes and Jimenez have not responded back to Watermark’s multiple requests for comment.
