U-Hauls with their ramps pulled onto the sidewalk sat parked outside Terra Lake Heights apartments March 3 as residents rushed to comply with orders to vacate over concerns about a lack of working fire alarms and sprinklers.
Former tenants, dripping in sweat, spent the morning packing up their belongings at the Pullen Road complex and making a move somewhere else — though many didn’t know where they would call home next.
Notices from the Tallahassee Fire Department posted throughout the property read “DANGEROUS BUILDING” in red letters.
“This building and premise have been declared unsafe due to inoperable fire alarm and sprinkler system,” the notices said.
A man named Alex G., who asked not to give his last name, carried tables and chairs down the stairs, passing by other apartments with their doors left widen open.
Inside the northwest Tallahassee apartments were the telltale signs of hasty exits: piles of trash and old furniture, clothing, toys and more. On the first floor of Building 4, a fire extinguisher lay on the ground above a damaged cabinet on the wall above.
“This is not an eviction, it’s an evacuation,” said Alex, who lived at the complex for a year before he was forced to leave.
In a letter dated Feb. 20, TFD Division Chief/Fire Marshal Jason Greisl notified Terra Lake Heights that it was no longer permitted to allow any of its four buildings to be occupied by residents.
“Your apartment complex is in violation of The Florida Fire Prevention Code,” says the letter, which was signed by TFD Division Chief/Fire Marshal Jason Greisl. “As a result of this order, all residents shall vacate buildings 1, 2, 3 & 4 by 9 a.m. on March 2, 2026.”
In an interview with the Democrat, Greisl said that inspectors found that the complex’s fire alarm and sprinkler systems were out of compliance and that there were issues with egress from the buildings.
“We informed … the property management of the violations, and we advised them of the corrective actions that needed to take place,” Greisl said. “And based off no corrective actions being taken, we had to move forward in directing the property management company that the residents needed to vacate.”
Apartment complex didn’t conduct fire watches as ordered
Greisl, who has been working with the apartment complex for several weeks, said the complex was placed on fire watch, which requires a security firm to monitor the property 24 hours a day for fire when alarms are down.
“But they had issues securing a fire watch,” Greisl said. “And with the property management not complying with the corrective actions for the safety of the residents, we determined that they needed to vacate due to life safety.”
The Terra Lake Heights complex did not return a phone call March 3 from the Tallahassee Democrat. The property is registered to Terra Lake Heights, LLC, which has a St. Petersburg address. It’s listed online as part of a portfolio of apartment complexes held by Terra Equity Group of Pembroke Pines.
Greisl added that property management was aware of the problems and knew what corrective actions had to be taken.
“They did not ignore it,” he said, “but they did not correct the violations.”
The closure of Terra Lake Heights comes more than three months after a massive blaze at The Social Seminole, a multi-building apartment complex that had failed numerous fire inspections. The Nov. 19 blaze, which gutted the three-story Building F, left one person dead and injured a number of others, some of whom had to escape by jumping out of windows.
In that case, no evacuation was ever ordered by TFD. However, fire officials have said the apartment complex was complying with orders to conduct fire watches and was making progress toward installing new alarm systems.
“They’re two totally different situations,” Greisl said. “Property management has to comply with the corrective actions.”
The cause of The Seminole Social fire remains under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s Office. It’s unclear when findings will be released.
‘You just put people out’
Alex, who offered a neighbor space in his moving truck for some of their items, estimated he spent more than $1,000 to pack up at the last minute and make new arrangements elsewhere.
Residents were given vouchers from one help agency for 10-day stays at an Airbnb. But residents said that didn’t give them enough time to raise money for deposits and first month’s rent at a new place.
Deloris Blake and her husband, who reside in Thomasville, Georgia, have been coming to the complex every day for the past week or so to help their two sons move out.
Odai Manning, 40, their eldest son, said he wished more could have been done to keep residents in their homes. While his younger brother, who works in the medical field, already found a new apartment, he was still looking for a place he could afford.
“Everyone disagreed with (the eviction),” he said. “We should have signed a (petition) and passed it around saying that we didn’t agree with it.”
Blake estimated she had spent $2,000 so far helping with the move. And while she’s thankful her boys will be safe somewhere else, she said the sudden eviction left numerous families to struggle. She and others blamed the apartment complex rather than the Fire Department.
“You just put people out, with no deposit and no place to go,” she said.
Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com or 850-599-2180.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: ‘No place to go’: Apartment complex residents move out on TFD orders
Reporting by Jeff Burlew, Alicia Devine and Arianna Otero, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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