Estero apartment complex accused of price-gouging after Ian

It’s illegal to ridiculously raise the price of necessary goods like food, water, gas and rent during a state of emergency.

One woman believes a local apartment complex is price gouging her and other members of the community.

The woman said in a matter of days the unit she wanted to view jumped 63%. Now she is not interested.

Looking to downsize from a home to an apartment and helping her friends find a roof over their heads after they lost everything in Hurricane Ian, Judy Sapp found the Springs at Gulf Coast in Estero.

She scheduled a tour for Monday to look at a 2-bedroom, 2-bath 1088 square foot unit.

She said at the time, it was priced $2,301.

On Monday morning, she said she got a call from an employee at the complex confirming her tour.

“He said well, two days ago, the rent was changed to $3,491. And the reason being is that we’re full now,” Sapp said.

That’s nearly a $1,200 increase.

“That was ridiculous,” Sapp said. “That was price gouging and the people that owned them should be shameful. And it pretty much was what it was and I did not go to view it.”

The Attorney General’s Office told WINK News apartment rentals that are necessary as a direct result of an ongoing state of emergency may be covered under Florida’s price gouging law.

But whether a particular apartment rental offering is covered under that law, it’s a case-by-case issue.

According to the community’s website, depending on when you rent and how long your lease is, you could pay anywhere from $2,000 to $2,900.

“As a community, this is about coming together and helping one another, not trying to benefit over someone else’s loss.

Sapp reported this case to the Attorney General’s office. She is still trying to help her friends rebuild.

“It really, really saddens me that, as a community, that we’re trying to profit off people who are just trying to get back,” she said.

WINK News reached out to Continental Properties. That’s the owner and management company for the Springs at Gulf Coast. We haven’t heard back yet.

If you think you’re seeing price gouging happening, report it to the Attorney General’s Office Price Gouging tip line at 1-866-966-7226 or online at my-florida-legal.com or download the No Scam app and report it there.