TAMPA, Fla. — As more people move to Florida, more development is underway.
Pines Trailer Park, which sits on Anna Maria Island, sold for more than $16 million. Residents tried to buy the land but couldn't afford the amount.
"Florida is one of the nation's fastest-growing states, it has been for some time," said Dennis Smith, a planner in residence at Florida State University's Department of Urban and Regional Planning. "The population of Florida continues to grow, and that growth is in our coastal areas. There are a lot of growth pressures. People outside of the state want to live on the coast, and a lot of Floridians also live here because they have access to the coast. They are near the coast. It's a beautiful environment."
In the case of Pines Trailer Park, it is affecting residents like Linda Maerker, who received a letter giving residents notice that the land had been sold. The letter states they have five to seven years left to live on the property.
When Spectrum News first spoke with Maerker, she brought out pictures of her children.
"Good memories," she said. "That's what you hang on to, is the memories."
But her daughter passed away six years ago, and her boys three years later.
"This was our last picture," Maerker said. "It was at Christmas."
She says she carries the memories with her, along with a necklace that holds the thumbprint of each of her kids engraved into a medal-shaped heart.
"The sad thing is that I can't remember their voices,” she said.
After losing her loved ones, Maerker said it's the fellow residents of Pines Park that have become like family to her.
"You get to know them more than friends, and you are there to help if you need help, and they are there if you need help,” she said.
Maerker lives in Pines Park several months a year, but is now preparing to head back to Ohio. When she was notified that the park was sold, she was devastated.
"We teared up," she said. "So many unknowns."
Residents learned that the developer who bought the property cannot seek a land use change for at least five years. But Maerker is still coming to grips with how her life might change.
“We got a letter saying the contract had been signed and hopefully it can stay a trailer park for a while," she said. "We don’t know who is buying it, but we are just happy to still be here."
The clock is ticking on Maerker's uncertain future, but she said she hopes the island can continue to be her place of healing for years to come.
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Land sold: Clock is ticking for residents of Pines Trailer Park - Bay News 9
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