Man refuses to sell home. Developers try to bury him.

Meet Orlando Capote, a homeowner in Coral Gables, FL, who's been fighting a 20-year battle against developers and city officials to keep his home. Despite numerous offers and intimidation tactics, Orlando refuses to give up. Watch his heart-wrenching story and find out what's at stake.

Well, I interviewed Orlando and what they have done to this poor guy and his family for the pass 20 years I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. From investors, realtors, the city of coral gables to the current developer Agave holdings, what they have done to him has been Horrible!

Imagine you purchased your dream home and have been living in it for 15 years and then, all of the sudden you're bullied into moving? Well that's what happened to Orlando and his family.

It all started back in 2004 when a Developer named Rafael Sánchez started to buy all the homes in Orlando's neighborhood. The following year, in 2005 Orlando's dad got very sick which required him to go back and forth to the hospital. Well in one of those nights that his dad was in the hospital, a real estate agent knocked on Orlando's door wanting to buy the house. Orlando's mom explained to the agent that her husband was in the hospital, but the real estate agent didn't really care. The agent just wanted to buy Orlando's house so they offered him $900,000 for the property right then and there. Imagine, someone that needs something from you doesn't even care about you or your family. Are you going to trust this person? Hell no. So, Orlando flat out rejected the offer, not just because the Agent had no heart, but because the deal was, as he likes to call it, legally deficient. (can put what it means on the screen, so can edit my paragraph stop video and start with next)

Sorry guys, but I had to look up this term because I had no idea what it meant. Basically, it means a deal that doesn't make financial sense. For example, if they offered him 900k but his cost to buy something else was 950k, it meant the deal was legally deficient. I know 900k sounds like a lot of money, but if you live in one of the wealthiest areas of Miami and have to buy another property that costs even more, why the hell would anyone sell? Also, with his Dad going back and fourth to the hospital, there was no way that he could look after his pops, sell the house and go find another house.

So back to the story, by 2008, the real estate bubble burst causing the developer Ralph Sanchez to go bankrupt. This left Orlando's house to be the only one in his whole neighborhood, because all other homes were demolished. For better or for worse Orlando lived liked this for the next 10 years. Living with no neighbors for 10 years in the middle of Miami. That must have been a site to see.

In 2013, three women came to his house and tried to bamboozle him by trying to make Orlando to sign a contract that said it gave them rights to sell his home. The contract was very strange so he told them that he wasn't going to sign it. Some time later, they left him an another offer of an exchange that included another nearby home and a vehicle.

Orlando suspected something was off so he gave it to several lawyers who said that the contract was not so much an offer, but a trap so that the city would see that we were negotiating.

In 2019, while Capote was fighting with the city committee to defend access to his street and the back alley, the massive construction began, filling the entire block with heavy machinery, noise, dust, and road closures. It was Nuts! He had to wear a gas mask as there was dust all over the place. It was so bad and loud it was horrible!

In November of 2019 Orlando's mom fell in the kitchen so he called the rescue. When the rescue came, they had to park more than 200 feet from his house, they had to put his mom on a stretcher and carry her to the corner. He said it was horrible. Why couldn't they come from the front? Because there was a large construction team in front of the doors that were supposed to give access to the house". Imagine your 94-year-old mother falling down and the ambulance team had to go on a mission to get her. Unfortunate his mom would pass away while at rehabilitation center.

Orlando reported this to the city, he told them that his right to access emergency services was violated when his street was blocked. He also argued that there were improper modifications in the backyard alley that prevented the rescue of his mother. He told them that fire regulations were violated. At this meeting, in which the real estate developer also participated, his argument were dismissed without justification.

In 2023 when Orlando received a notice that said he has to pay around 30k if not they will lien his home. Well wouldn't you know that after this latest notice aired on TV, the notice disappeared like magic. The city said it was a mistake. I kid you not, they said and I quote, "it was an Honest mistake". Mind you that this only happened after multiple news channels aired this news.