Mobile home park or slum? Pensacola residents living with no water, electricity

No running water and limited electricity - residents at one Escambia County mobile home park are living in deplorable conditions, but for them, it's nothing new.

It's not hard to understand why the Florida Health Department and Escambia County Code Enforcement is investigating this mobile home park on New Warrington Road. What is hard to understand, is how conditions have been allowed to go on like this for so long.

Commissioner Doug Underhill says it boils down to understaffing and a lack of funding at a county level.

"Until we get our budget priorities right, we are going to continue to be a community that while we are surrounded by natural beauty, there are some real pockets of very unnatural beauty," said Underhill. "Unnatural waste and very truly, disgusting living conditions."

Since last year, Underhill says the county has tried unsuccessfully to work with the landlord, Giovanni Gelano.

"We were very patient with the landlord," said Underhill. "Not for the sake of the landlord, but for the sake of the citizens that live there. It's very clear that there is no way that facility can be brought up to reasonable human conditions with that landlord."

Gelano owns seven properties in Escambia County. We asked for an interview but didn't hear back, so we went to a few of his other properties. Most looked similar to the mobile home park.

One house on Cervantes Street has been vacant since December.

"I heard a loud explosion," said neighbor, Carolyn Glattli. "When my son and I walked out, we could see flames."

Aside from the occasional homeless person taking up residence, since the fire, Glattli says she's actually had some peace and quiet.

"It's been used as a drug house, prostitution all kinds of bad things have been happening here," said Glattli.

Glattli has seen five families living here at once. They told her Gelano charged $500 a month, per room.

"I used to have his phone number and I would call him periodically when disturbances happen over here, but then he changed his phone number," said Glattli. "He got tired of me calling and complaining!"

Underhill says the only way things will change is if the county cracks down on enforcing the law.

"These few slum lords that run a place the way this guy does, they are the ones who are having an incredible negative impact on our society," said Underhill. "Not just on the neighborhood around there, but how it holds Escambia citizens down and keeps them in that kind of squalor."

Escambia County Code Enforcement cannot comment on the case until their investigation is complete. Until then, the residents living here wait in limbo to find out what's next for them.