The Shields Painting Difference: Perfection with Every Brush Stroke
Many painting companies in Florida rely on flashy marketing and big promises to try and attract new clients. But when it comes time to work, they fall short of their promises. This is often due to a lack of experience, qualified painters, and a drive to overachieve. At Shields Painting, we do things a little differently than other painting companies in Citrus County. We believe that a professional paint job should be as close to perfect as possible. Our goal is to leave you 100% satisfied, whether we're touching up an old residential paint job or performing a complex commercial project. It might sound simple, but we achieve that goal through honesty, hard work, beautiful results, and reasonable pricing.
As a family-owned and operated painting company in Pine Ridge, FL, we strive to provide personalized, professional, and friendly service. Shields Painting has been in business since 1968 for a good reason. Whenever possible, we go the extra mile to make sure our customers are happy. Unlike some of our competition, we want to know all about your house or business painting project: your vision, your preferences, your challenges, and your goals. When we understand your needs, we can present you with a fantastic final product - one that you're proud to show off to friends and neighbors.
At Shields Painting, we combine our extensive experience with time-tested, meticulous painting processes, resulting in the highest quality painting results around. As a painting contractor in Citrus County, we can take on a variety of residential, commercial, and industrial projects in Florida.
A few of our most popular painting services include:
- Interior Painting
- Exterior Painting
- Residential Painting
- Commercial Painting
- Cabinet Painting
- Ceiling Painting
- Fence Painting
- Sign Painting
- MUCH More!
Our commercial, industrial, and residential painting contractors take the proper steps to protect your property and belongings while we work. Our team will clean up after ourselves, so your property is left clean and free of debris when we're done. After all, we think there's only one way to do a job, and that's the right way.
Painting Services

Eco-friendly & clean work area.

PDCA Certified Member.

Your Go-To House Painting Company in Pine Ridge, FL
Your home is a haven of relaxation and solitude. It is uniquely you - a place where you can express who you are through style and design. Whether you need interior touch-ups for your crown molding or a new exterior coat of paint, hiring a reliable painting contractor is the best way to get quality results.
At Shields Painting, we know how important it is to have a home that highlights your tastes and personality. That's why we offer an extensive array of residential painting services in Citrus County. As tempting as it might be to try a DIY paint job, without the proper skills and experience, there is a good chance that the results will turn out less than satisfactory.
High-quality painting requires skill, experience, and patience. If you're a homeowner who needs residential painting services but doesn't have the time, patience, or skills to handle the job, look no further than Shields Painting. We offer accuracy, precision, and longevity with each paint job we perform. Our customers choose Shields Painting for their home because they receive:
- Free Quotes with Detailed Project Breakdowns
- Affordable Pricing
- Expert Painting Contractors
- High-Quality Paint Products
- Combo of Traditional and Modern Techniques
- Well-Maintained Tools
- Unmatched Craftsmanship
- Friendly, Personalized Service
- Good Old-Fashioned Hard Work!
The majority of our house painting services come in two forms: interior and exterior.
Interior Residential Painting
As an interior painting contractor with decades of experience, our expert technicians have developed an interior painting process that maximizes quality and emphasizes customer satisfaction. We understand that interior painting goes beyond aesthetics. It protects your ceilings and walls and helps you sustain a healthier place to live for your family. When only the finest craftsmanship will do inside your home, Shields Painting is here for you.
Our seasoned team of painting experts and craftsmen is dedicated to respecting your space and providing you with the look and feel you're craving inside your home. Whether you bought a new house and want to make it your own or need minor touch-ups but have no time, Shields Painting is ready to tackle the job, no matter how small or large.
Unlike some painting companies, our interior house painters take the time to get the details right, every time. For instance, color is only one aspect of your interior paint job. The paint sheen or finish is just as important. Certain finishes are better for living rooms and bedrooms than in kitchens and bathrooms. We'll help you find the right finish and paint colors for your home, so you don't have to worry about touch-ups or repainting.
Some of our most popular interior house painting services include:
- Ceiling Painting
- Popcorn Ceiling Removal
- Living Room Painting
- Bathroom Painting
- Basement Painting
- Color Consultations
- More

Cabinet Painting
Citrus County cabinet painting deserves its own section on this page because it requires more time, skill, and quality paint than most sections of your home. If your home's cabinets are built into its woodwork, replacing them can be obnoxiously expensive. Compared to the cost of installing new cabinets, painting your kitchen cabinets is much more affordable.
At Shields Painting, we specialize in transforming old cabinets into new, gorgeous features that are just as usable as they are beautiful. Each step of our cabinet painting process is meticulous and thorough. And we'll take care of the entire job, from cleaning, prep, and sanding to priming, painting, and reassembly. This unique service lets you enjoy a brand-new look in your kitchen without having to go into debt by replacing your cabinets.
Whether your cabinets are new, but you want to change their color or you'd like to transition wood cabinets to a painted finish, Shields Painting has the expertise and experience to give you a new look you'll love.

Exterior Residential Painting
Your home - it's a place that not only keeps your belongings safe. It protects your family and loved ones, too. It's one of your largest investments, and like anything else of value, it should be protected. However, Florida weather can take a toll on your home's structure and paint, lowering your home's value and even putting your family at risk.
While it's true that a beautiful exterior affects your house's value, it shouldn't take thousands of remodeling dollars to make a positive change to your home. There's a fine line between reasonable pricing and top-quality painting, and that sweet spot is what Shields Painting aims for. If you want to transform how your friends and neighbors see your home, never underestimate the power of a professional paint job.
Our exterior residential painting services are designed to boost curb appeal, give your home a fresh look, and help it stand up to Florida's unique weather. But we provide more than that. When you hire Shields Painting for your outdoor painting project, you will enjoy peace of mind in knowing that your home is in truly capable hands. Our goal is to exceed your expectations and help bring out the best in your property, whether you need to re-stain your deck or remove old, peeling paint from your siding.
If you're on the hunt for the very best exterior painting contractor in Pine Ridge, FL, look no further than Shields Painting.
Some of our most popular exterior house painting services include:
- Vinyl Siding Painting
- Deck Painting and Staining
- Stucco Exterior Painting
- Wood Exterior Painting
- Porch Painting and Staining
- Soffit Painting
- Fascia Painting
- Window Painting
- Front Door Painting
- Thorough Painting Prep
- More

The Premier Commercial Painting Company in Pine Ridge, FL
When it comes to first impressions, your businesses' appearance plays an important role. Your commercial property's paint job factors into its overall aesthetics. A great-looking, well-maintained paint job can mean the difference between a customer walking in your storefront and passing by. Conversely, an old, worn-out commercial paint job can send the wrong message to prospective customers. If you can't take the time to keep up your property's appearance, why would a customer spend their hard-earned money on your products?
The same goes for your businesses' interior paint. Would you want to do business with a company that has peeling paint or unsightly crown molding? At Shield's Painting, our goal is to create a beautiful environment that your customers and employees will love inside and out. When you work with our business painters, you can rest easy knowing we treat your business like it were our own. We always clean up after ourselves and know that operations cannot come to a halt just because we're painting. As such, we'll work with your busy schedule to ensure the job gets done right the first time without disrupting your day-to-day commitments.
With decades of commercial painting experience, we know the demands of a commercial painting project necessitate a disciplined and focused approach from the start. Our team of business painters is committed to delivering quality, on-time results on every project, every time - no excuses

We offer professional business painting services to a variety of building types, including:

01
Industrial Painting
A high level of care and finesse are required to effectively paint an industrial property. At Shields Painting, we know that industrial paint jobs involve much more than aesthetics. That's why our industrial services are customized to your specifications, using industrial-grade materials that stand up to heavy-duty operations.
02
Retail Store Painting
Our commercial painters apply effective, yet appealing interior and exterior paint that stand up to the daily rigors of busy retail environments.


03
Small Business Painting
Do you own a restaurant franchise? Have a small "mom and pop" location that needs a fresh coat of paint? Shields Painting has the resources and reliability to efficiently get the job done the first time. That way, you can focus on serving your customers, not having your business repainted.
04
Healthcare Location Painting
From walk-in clinics to long-term care facilities, Shields Painting is sensitive to your patients' needs. We know you must protect your patient's privacy while maintaining productivity. Our approach to healthcare location painting centers around your schedule to avoid disruptions in care.


05
Apartment Complex Painting
Erase signs of wear and make your apartment complex or multi-family building a more desirable place to live with a stunning, professional paint job.
Florida's Most Trusted Painting Contractor
Shields Painting has been in the business since 1968. In a world where so much has changed, we are proud to uphold the ideals that make us successful: hard, honest work, getting the job done right, and excellent customer service. Providing you with trustworthy, quality work will always take priority over rushing through a project to serve the next customer. That is just not the way we choose to do business.
As professionals dedicated to perfection, we strive to provide a unique painting experience for every customer - one that focuses on their needs and desires instead of our own. Whether you need residential painting for your home or commercial painting for your business, we encourage you to reach out today to speak with our customer service team. Whether you have big ideas about a new paint project or need our expertise and guidance, we look forward to hearing from you soon.

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Latest News in Pine Ridge, FL
Physicians Regional Healthcare System taking over Landmark Hospital in North Naples
Liz Freemanhttps://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/health/2021/10/15/physicians-regional-taking-over-operations-landmark-hospital-southwest-florida/8436689002/
Physicians Regional Healthcare System is expanding its bed capacity and its orthopedic surgery program.The for-profit hospital system has signed a long-term lease to take over operations of the 50-bed Landmark Hospital of Southwest Florida, offic...
Physicians Regional Healthcare System is expanding its bed capacity and its orthopedic surgery program.
The for-profit hospital system has signed a long-term lease to take over operations of the 50-bed Landmark Hospital of Southwest Florida, officials with Physicians Regional announced Oct. 12.
Now a long-term care hospital, Landmark will be converted to a general acute-care hospital and renamed Physicians Regional North later this year, according to a news release. The hospital is located at 1285 Creekside Blvd. near the intersection of Goodlette-Frank and Immokalee roads.
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Part of the Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, Physicians Regional currently operates two hospitals in Collier County. They are the 109-bed Physicians Regional at Pine Ridge and 100-bed Physicians Regional at Collier Boulevard.
Hospital leaders plan to add a combined 108 beds next year to the two hospitals, with 78 of the new beds at Pine Ridge and 30 beds at Collier Boulevard, according to the news release.
In addition to new beds being added by the end of 2022, the hospital is expanding its service line for musculoskeletal conditions involving orthopedic surgery.
“Our passion is delivering quality patient care to our community and we are excited to expand access to musculoskeletal care as we bring in more surgeons, specialists and a 50-bed hospital to our network,” Scott Lowe, chief executive officer of Physicians Regional, said in a news release.
The hospital system will have a combined 367 beds at three locations by the end of next year. Its main competitor, the nonprofit NCH Healthcare System, will remain the larger provider in Collier with two campuses and a combined 716 beds.
Physicians Regional currently has 300 physicians on staff and roughly 2,000 employees. NCH has roughly 775 physicians on staff and 5,000 employees.
Southwest Florida has long been a mecca for retirees and tourists where hospitals and other health care providers face constant pressure to keep pace with the growing demand.
U.S. Census data released in May show Collier’s population grew by 1.8% from 2019 to 2020 to nearly 393,000 residents. Tourism data show the county is heading toward a record year with 1.37 million visitors from January through August this year, a 1.4% increase over the same period in 2020.
To help grow the musculoskeletal service line, Physicians Regional signed an agreement with Healthcare Outcomes Performance Company, HOPCo, for its expertise.
The Phoenix-based firm specializes in practice management in orthopedics, spine, hand, pain management, rehabilitation and neurology. The company will start working with hospital staff this month at the Pine Ridge and Collier campuses for the expanded program, according to hospital officials.
“As the population in the Naples areas continues to grow, we believe there is an increasing need for a comprehensive musculoskeletal program that can serve patients of all ages, and that is our goal,” Dr. Wael Barsoum, president and chief transformation officer with HOPCo, said in a news release.
“Whether it is joint replacement, spine care or sports medicine, we want to make sure individuals in the community have access to the highest quality care right where they live,” he said.
NCH was approached by HOPCo to work with Landmark on the same project but declined because it did not meet with NCH's strategic goals around physician engagement and access to state-of-the-art services, Paul Hiltz, NCH's president and chief executive officer, said in a statement.
"In the coming weeks, we will be announcing exciting strategic initiatives around our orthopedic service line," he said.
The changes at Landmark
Physicians Regional did not provide a date for when it will take over operations of Landmark.
“We have executed a long term lease with Landmark and we expect to be operational after the first of the year,” Physicians Regional spokeswoman Brittney Thoman said in an email.
When asked about the status of Landmark employees, Thoman indicated Landmark will still have a presence in Physicians Regional North.
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“Between ongoing Landmark operations and Physicians Regional’s new venture, we expect that all employees at that facility will remain gainfully employed,” she said in an email.
Officials with Landmark could not be reached for comment.
Landmark of Southwest Florida is one of six Landmark hospitals in the U.S. that offer critical care and rehabilitation services for patients with complex medical needs, such as brain injuries or multiple organ failure. Patients often need ventilators and extended stays, often around 25 days before they can go to another care setting.
The other locations are in Athens and Savanna, both in Georgia; and three in Missouri, in Columbia, Joplin and Cape Girardeau, according to Landmark's website.
More beds coming to several sites
Of the combined 108 private beds being added to the existing Physicians Regional hospitals, 78 beds will go to the Pine Ridge campus and 30 beds will be added to Collier Boulevard, according to Thoman.
Sixteen of the new beds at Pine Ridge will be for an intensive care unit and a cardiovascular intensive care and 12 beds will be for an observation unit, according to hospital officials. The Pine Ridge campus is where open heart surgery was added in 2020.
The 30 private beds being added at Collier Boulevard will all be for medical/surgical purposes, according to the hospital system.
Publix prototype with shop-and-sip café coming to East Naples
Tim ATEN Knowshttps://naples.floridaweekly.com/articles/publix-prototype-with-shop-and-sip-cafe-coming-to-east-naples/
Q: Any updates on the Publix in Naples Towne Center? Seems like construction has been going on for over a year.— Joy Hancock, NaplesA: After experiencing some construction delays in building out its store in the former Lucky’s Market space in East Naples, Publix tentatively plans to launch its new store this summer at 3815 Tamiami Trail E. in Naples Towne Centre South.“At the moment, we’re still too far away for a definitive date. We’re hoping for early third quarter,” said Brian West,...
Q: Any updates on the Publix in Naples Towne Center? Seems like construction has been going on for over a year.
— Joy Hancock, Naples
A: After experiencing some construction delays in building out its store in the former Lucky’s Market space in East Naples, Publix tentatively plans to launch its new store this summer at 3815 Tamiami Trail E. in Naples Towne Centre South.
“At the moment, we’re still too far away for a definitive date. We’re hoping for early third quarter,” said Brian West, community relations manager for Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets Inc.
At slightly more than 38,000 square feet, the new Publix will be smaller than the grocer’s average store. Labeled on site development plans as a prototype, this new Publix store differs from a traditional Publix supermarket in that it will have the region’s first Pours beverage bar. Pours offers local craft beers, wine, coffee, kombucha, smoothies and açaí bowls with seating in a café setting and at a bar just inside the store’s entrance.
Similar to a customer service that was available at Lucky’s Market, Publix patrons will be able to sip wine and beer as they shop in this new store. It’s a concept borrowed from Publix’s health-forward GreenWise Market and not available yet at any other Publix in this area.
Publix promotes Pours on its website: “Get a freshly brewed coffee, a glass of wine, or beer that you can sip while you shop. Relax at our bar with on-tap kombucha or a freshly made açai bowl. Or grab a fruit smoothie for the road.” Pours also offers draft beer in pints or flights as well as premium teas and coffees such as a cappuccino, iced lattes and nitro cold brews.
Some of these nonalcoholic beverages are available at Publix Café locations such as the hybrid store at the Marketplace at Pelican Bay in North Naples. The Publix at Naples Plaza offers an in-store Starbucks location.
The new Publix at Naples Towne Centre is only about a mile away from the supermarket the company operates in the Shoppes at Hammock Cove and about 2 miles away from its store in Kings Lake Square. That’s why the new store initially was expected to be a GreenWise concept, but it’s actually more traditional — except for the Pours exception.
Also, rather than its customary location along the edge of the store, the delicatessen service area will be an island on the sales floor between the produce and meat departments. An adjacent station will have a self-serve cold bar area with endcaps on either end for olives and soups, plans show. The prototype store also is expected to have a mezzanine and some self-checkout lanes.
Other departments for the new Publix include a bakery, seafood, cheeses, floral, pharmacy and wine and beer. Publix Liquors will use the same adjoining retail space that was used for Lucky’s wine and spirits with its own entrance on the northwest corner of the building.
Modifications to already approved plans for the store may be responsible for part of its construction delays. In April, the county approved a nominal alteration plan to the site development plan it initially approved. Plans show minor exterior changes to the northeast rear corner of the store, including a proposed new code-compliant exit ramp and new concrete pads for a standby generator, emergency generator, trash compactor and speed-lift.
Shortly after Kroger divested its three-year stake in the Colorado-based chain, Lucky’s Market permanently closed all of its Florida stores and most of its stores nationwide in early 2020. In a Lucky’s Market bankruptcy deal, Publix paid $11.5 million to assume the leases of five of the Florida stores that Lucky’s had operated in East Naples, Clermont, Neptune Beach, Orlando and Ormond Beach. The new Publix stores in Neptune Beach and Ormond Beach, both on the east coast, will also have Pours beverage bars, a Publix spokesperson reports.
Pizzeria update
Between that future Publix supermarket and the existing Aaron’s lease-to-own retail store in Naples Towne Centre, Sammy’s
Pizza also is targeted to open this summer in a 1,488-square-foot unit, said Brittany Manau, who co-owns the pizzeria with her husband, Scott. The Manaus operate four other locations of their family restaurant near Chicago and look forward to finally being able to open their business in Naples.
“Our manager, Gina Reid, relocated to Naples with her husband Dan and asked us to consider opening a store,” Mrs. Manau said. “She was a great employee and friend, so we decided to give it a try. Dan was also our food rep and can support Gina at the restaurant. We have enjoyed many visits to beautiful Naples and hope this will be a reason to continue to come down.”
Established in 1953 in Kankakee, Illinois, Sammy’s is home of the Tough Guy — signature pizza, burger, chicken and egg roll items featuring pepperoni, sausage, Canadian bacon, pizza sauce, garlic, crushed red pepper and mozzarella. Sammy’s extensive menu has thin-crust pizza, Italian pasta favorites, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, seafood baskets, egg rolls, salads, appetizers and desserts.
“The menu (in Naples) might be slightly smaller, but we’ll have all our favorites for sure,” Mrs. Manau said.
Total change
The former Lucky’s Market anchor space at the Promenade at Naples Centre also will have a new tenant this fall. After operating for 15 years in the Carillon Place retail center at Airport-Pulling and Pine Ridge roads, Total Wine is relocating less than a mile away to the former Lucky’s and Wild Oats grocery store near the corner of Airport-Pulling Road and Naples Boulevard in North Naples.
The liquor superstore chain with a wine focus will increase its local store size more than 150%, expanding from 19,000 square feet to 29,349 square feet. Total Wine is targeted to make its big move near the end of September. ¦
— “Tim Aten Knows” is published each week in Naples Florida Weekly. Email questions to TimAtenKnows@floridaweekly.com. Follow @TimAtenKnows on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Rat infestation temporarily shuts down McDonald's Pine Ridge location in Naples
Diana Biedermanhttps://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2022/04/14/rats-naples-florida-mcdonalds-force-shutdown/7317851001/
A Naples McDonald’s restaurant has been temporarily shuttered because of a rat infestation.The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation — tasked with all Florida ...
A Naples McDonald’s restaurant has been temporarily shuttered because of a rat infestation.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation — tasked with all Florida restaurant inspections — confirmed it received a complaint about rats Wednesday, April 13, for the restaurant at 6065 Pine Ridge Road in Naples, in the late afternoon.
“What normally happens, then, we will send an inspector, usually same day or early the next morning," Patrick Fargason, the state agency's deputy communications director, told the Daily News on Thursday afternoon.
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"Our inspector went out to the McDonald’s first thing this morning, and the restaurant was closed. There was a sign on the door that said they would be open soon. Our inspector is in the vicinity and will return to conduct an inspection once open.”
"We did not shut down the establishment; apparently it was already closed," Fargason added. "We don’t know if it was the owner or McDonald’s. We haven’t been able to inspect the establishment."
The restaurant’s last inspection on March 11, 2022, cited one high-priority violation of a “vacuum breaker missing at mop sink faucet or on fitting/splitter added to mop sink faucet. Observed no vacuum breaker at splitter at mop sink.”
An intermediate violation during that inspection also noted “no paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. Observed no paper towel at handwash sink in back area. Operator provided paper towels,” which was corrected on-site.
Mike Adams, the McDonald's franchise owner, who did not return messages to the Naples Daily News earlier Thursday, shared a statement with NBC-2.
“We are committed to providing our customers and crew members with a clean and safe dining and working experience," Adams said in the statement.
"We were alerted to a concerning video circulating on social media and we take this situation seriously. Out of an abundance of caution, we are proactively closing this restaurant temporarily while we thoroughly deep clean and sanitize the restaurant and resolve this matter in coordination with our neighboring business within this building unit.”
Diana Biederman is the food and restaurant reporter for Naples Daily News. Contact her at diana.biederman@naplesnews.com.
New HVAC program at Pine Ridge High School gets students ready for careers
Justin Sotohttps://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2021/08/16/new-volusia-county-schools-program-in-hvac
DELTONA, Fla. — As Volusia County Schools welcomes back students for the new year, a new program is set up to get students ready for jobs right out of high school.What You Need To Know It is a first-of-its-kind program in the county in heating and air conditioning at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona.District leaders, faculty, and parents got a sneak peek of the new facility ahead of the new year.Stephanie Allen's son Alexander is joining the program.“I think he’s going t...
DELTONA, Fla. — As Volusia County Schools welcomes back students for the new year, a new program is set up to get students ready for jobs right out of high school.
What You Need To Know
It is a first-of-its-kind program in the county in heating and air conditioning at Pine Ridge High School in Deltona.
District leaders, faculty, and parents got a sneak peek of the new facility ahead of the new year.
Stephanie Allen's son Alexander is joining the program.
“I think he’s going to like it because I think it’s going to be a lot of hands-on. Honestly, I think it’s fantastic that they were able to get the funding that they were with so much equipment," Allen said.
It is all thanks to an over $500,000 Florida Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran.
The program's starting with 160 students and two instructors.
Leland Wilbert brings nine years of field experiencing to the teaching job. He is a first-time teacher, but he comes from a family of them.
“Make it hot, make it cold, these will all show the kids what different elements and different heat loads do for a house," Wilbert said while showing Spectrum News 13 equipment in the new workshop.
He went on to say, “This is a good way to take a unit that’s normally 50 feet apart from each other and put it right on the wall so they can do it all at once.”
Wilbert said his HVAC job in the field misses him, but being a new father pushed him to want to share his knowledge and passion with the youth.
It is a field that is projected to have a local deficit of about 900,000 workers by 2030.
“Any student who enrolls in our HVAC program will come out with multiple certifications and they will be employable immediately in the field and be eligible for pre-apprenticeships to further their skills," Pine Ridge High School Principal Paul Nehrig said.
With this new facility, students now have state-of-the-art technology at their fingertips.
“Living in Florida, we’re always going to need HVAC professionals," Nehrig said.
This new program is open to students across Volusia County. Students will spend part of their day in the program and will be able to move up to different levels as they progress.
Pine Ridge residents ordered to vacate apartments
Alan Festohttps://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2021/07/08/suncoast-property-management-orders-some-pine-ridge-residents-vacate-apartments-northwest-keycity/7903181002/
The clock is ticking on some northwest Gainesville residents to vacate their apartments.Residents of some units of Pine Ridge Apartments, at the corner of Northwest 34th Boulevard and Northwest 23rd Terrace, have received nonrenewal notices via certified mail to vacate their apartments within 30 days so that renovations and repairs can be done. Only four residents have received letters so far, according to the Alachua County Labor Coalition, but many more are expected.The apartments in Pine Ridge that are being v...
The clock is ticking on some northwest Gainesville residents to vacate their apartments.
Residents of some units of Pine Ridge Apartments, at the corner of Northwest 34th Boulevard and Northwest 23rd Terrace, have received nonrenewal notices via certified mail to vacate their apartments within 30 days so that renovations and repairs can be done. Only four residents have received letters so far, according to the Alachua County Labor Coalition, but many more are expected.
The apartments in Pine Ridge that are being vacated are owned by KeyCity Capital and managed by Suncoast Property Management.
The letter reads:
“You are advised that your tenancy and/or lease if applicable will not be renewed. You must vacate the premises no later than 7/31/21. In the event that you do not vacate the premises by said date, legal action may be taken in which you may be held liable for holdover (double) rent, damages, court costs and attorneys’ fees.”
According to the report by Sheila Payne with the Labor Coalition, KeyCity Capital's Carey Erff said residents can arrange with her or with Suncoast to stay in their apartment for up to 90 days after receiving a notice.
Erff is expected to attend a meeting at Pine Ridge Saturday at 10 a.m. outside the community center. The Labor Coalition hopes to inform residents of where things stand, along with the new arrangements by KeyCity.
On July 2 the Labor Coalition, members of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship and residents of Pine Ridge went door to door in the community to inform those affected and organize resistance to the “evictions.”
In October, KeyCity, a Texas-based private equity firm, bought 26 buildings — more than 80 units — in the complex, including the community center.
The buildings, which were built in the mid- to late ’80s, are run down and have problems such as leaky roofs, mold and plumbing issues, according to Payne.
“Pine Ridge has had a history of shootings and violence, but these 83 units clustered around the community center that are owned by one landlord, actually do have a sense of community,” Payne said. “We had very tearful testimony.”
In a June 25 letter from Suncoast Property Management to residents, the company says it will first renovate vacant units and then move on to those whose residents already plan to leave. The letter says residents will be given opportunities to rent the renovated units, however, they must meet “certain application criteria,” which many do not meet, Payne said.
“If they’ve been good residents then they should be allowed to move into the renovated (units),” Payne said. “Instead of paying $50 to apply for housing they may not get.”
Stacey Robinson, a Pine Ridge resident since 2009, said she is already filling out rental applications even though she has yet to receive a nonrenewal notice. She estimated she’s spent $300 on application fees.
“School is about to come up. I don’t want my children to be stressed out about if they’re going to have a roof over their head,” said Robinson, a single parent.
Robinson said she knows she won’t qualify for a renovated unit.
“I don’t make three times the rent even though I’ve been at my job 12 years,” Robinson said.
Robinson said a local realty company recently hosted an open house in the community for other apartments, and that about half the residents expected to receive nonrenewal notices attended.
Payne says rents at Suncoast’s Pine Ridge units are expected to rise from about $525 a month to between $800 and $900. Despite such a steep rent increase, many residents told the Labor Coalition they hope to stay.
That additional money, according to KeyCity, will be used to pay for the property renovations.
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