KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Every morning when Valerie Thomas wakes up, she has to empty out a dehumidifier.
- Residents says mold has been negatively affecting health
- She believes she's been living in it for about a year
- She says dehumidifier isn't doing enough
- More Osceola County news
“I am doing this at least four times a day,” she said.
Thomas said she detected mold inside her Remington Apartments unit about a month ago but believes she’s been living in it for almost a year.
She’s been feeling unusual symptoms and claims her mobility has diminished because of it.
“My chest is feeling tight and always feeling dry and scratchy throat,” she said. “Like a chalky kind of a feeling.”
Thomas who has COPD a chronic lung disease, has a letter from her doctor recommending the apartment be tested for mold.
Spectrum News reached out to the property manager, who sent us a statement that reads, “As soon as the first signs of (mold/mildew) are noted and reported to us, we treat it with a solution of ‘Simply Green,’ and place a dehumidifier in the unit. Because we catch it at its very early stages, it is only a surficial issue, and the issue is resolved.”
“I’ve called environmental services, I’ve called professional regulations and the county building code inspectors,” Thomas expressed. “And what they have told me is that if the landlord doesn’t invite them out, they cannot come -- that this is a landlord-tenant issue.”
Thomas has been spraying Simply Green and using the dehumidifier daily but says she wishes more could be done about it.
“This is not a healthy environment for me… This is not for me,” she added.
Thomas isn't the only one dealing with this situation. There are about 50 dehumidifiers in different units within the complex. But the manager says that doesn't necessarily mean they have mold, he says he provides them to anyone who requests one.