BRADENTON BEACH – Residents of the Pines Trailer Park must soon decide if they have the desire and the means to collectively purchase for $16 million the 2.78-acre waterfront property their mobile homes sit upon.
In late January, the Jackson Partnership LLLP which has long owned the mobile home park informed residents and the residents association of its desire to sell.
Under state law, the potentially impacted mobile homeowners must be given the first opportunity to buy the mobile home park property before it can be sold to anyone else.
According to three Pines residents who spoke on the condition of anonymity, at least two sales-related community meetings have been held in the Pines Trailer Park community building. During those meetings, residents were informed that they’d have approximately 45 days to determine if they can secure the $16 million needed to purchase the park.
The park contains 87 individual lots, which equates to $183,908 per lot. Some residents live in the park year-round and others reside there on a seasonal basis. It is not clear what would happen to the existing mobile homes if the homeowners are unable to buy the park or whether another potential buyer is waiting in the wings.
The park’s management and park residents have not responded to requests for on-the-record comments regarding the potential sale.
State statute
Section 723 of Florida Statutes addresses the sale of mobile home parks and reads as follows: “If a mobile home park owner offers a mobile home park for sale, she or he shall notify the officers of the homeowners’ association of the offer, stating the price and the terms and conditions of sale. The mobile home owners shall have the right to purchase the park, provided the homeowners meet the price and terms and conditions of the mobile home park owner by executing a contract with the park owner within 45 days unless agreed to otherwise, from the date of the notice.
“If a contract between the park owner and the association is not executed within such 45-day period, then – unless the park owner thereafter elects to offer the park at a price lower than the price specified in her or his notice to the officers of the homeowners’ association – the park owner has no further obligations,” according to the statute.
“If the park owner thereafter elects to offer the park at a price lower than the price specified in her or his notice to the homeowners, the homeowners, by and through the association, will have an additional 10 days to meet the price and terms and conditions of the park owner by executing a contract.
“If a mobile home park owner receives a bona fide offer to purchase the park that she or he intends to consider or make a counteroffer to, the park owner’s only obligation shall be to notify the officers of the homeowners’ association that she or he has received an offer and disclose the price and material terms and conditions upon which she or he would consider selling the park and consider any offer made by the homeowners.
“The park owner shall be under no obligation to sell to the homeowners or to interrupt or delay other negotiations and shall be free at any time to execute a contract for the sale of the park to a party or parties other than the homeowners or the association,” according to state statute.
