PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A group of Pinellas County seniors were told to evacuate their homes for Hurricane Helene, but they haven’t been allowed to return in four weeks.

A new property management company said their building saw extensive damage during the hurricanes.

The lockout has left residents at their wits’ end, and some have ended up in the hospital.

The property management company, QSLM, said it does not expect anyone to move back in before 2025. A few days for a hurricane evacuation quickly turned into at least four months of not being allowed back to their homes.

Residents are confused, upset, and they said this is detriment to their health.

“We had the caregiver pack a bag, and it was for two days because that’s what we were told,” said Christie Dannenmiller, daughter-in-law of resident Joann Dannenmiller.

Dannenmiller said Joann evacuated her home at Elance at Pasadena ahead of Helene. Joann was bused to a sister property in Sarasota. Then staff called Dannenmiller, saying she needed to be picked up.

“We had told them that we would be there as soon as we could,” said Dannenmiller. “They said they were going to charge us $1000 a day.”

Chrisite’s husband, Mark, went to see his mom, who suffers from onset dementia. He found vulnerable seniors placed on cots in a room.

“One person watching over seven people,” said Dannenmiller. “It was heartbreaking.”

Joann was then moved again! This time to a facility in Boyton Beach where she was forced into assisted living.

“They lost her phone,” Dannenmiller. “We had no contact.”

When they finally made contact, Joann hadn’t had her medication. On top of the confusion, Elance was recently renamed “The Barclay at Pasadena” under QSLM, which took over Oct. 15.

Cameras previously set up inside Joann’s home show strangers coming and going at all hours of the day.

QSLM spokesperson, Katie Boothe, would not answer 8 On Your Side Investigator Brittany Muller’s questions and denied the request for an interview. Boothe only shared a letter that was sent to residents and their families on Wednesday.
 
VP of Transition Operations, Estella Bowers, wrote that both towers flooded, there was roof damage, and now the elevators are unsafe or unfunctional — all caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Given the magnitude of the restoration work, we will also have to go through extensive permitting to allow re-occupancy. We expect to have additional clarity on the timeline for moving back into the building by the end of this week, but in any case, this isn’t a quick fix, and there are significant bottlenecks with contractors and permitting in the area. Because of this, we don’t expect anyone to move back in before 2025. With the understanding that the existing displacement won’t be short-lived, we want to focus on doing the things within our control to offer you the best alternate temporary living arrangements.  To this end, we’ll be reaching out to residents and responsible parties one by one to assess your current living arrangements, and gauge what we can do within our control to improve your current living arrangements.

Estella Bowers, VP of Transition Operations

QSLM said it can send team members to retrieve smaller personal belongings, but residents need to email evacinfo@barclayseniorliving.com with their name, apartment number, phone number, and list of items they need.

It was a similar situation for the Olsons.

“I guess it’s necessary, but it’s a bunch of crap,” Ione Olson said.

Ione Olson is now hospitalized. Doctors told her daughter, Tonya Olson, that her mom has had a “prolonged deprivation of access to her Parkinson’s medications.”

“Her condition has been declining for I don’t know how long until I showed up,” Tonya Olson said.

Ione is a resident at The Barclay. Her daughter said it had been a perfect home for her mom up until Helene.
             
Ione was bused to Sarasota. Then shuffled around and brought back to Sarasota after Milton. A home healthcare company, BrightStar Care, contacted Olson saying her mom needed additional help settling in.

So, Tonya Olson signed up for their services at $38 per hour to fill her mom’s medication. When she went to Sarasota, her mom’s hands and feet were swollen, but that’s not all.

“Her purse containing her phone her ID, credit cards, cash is missing,” Tonya said. “All of her medications are missing, the clothing by her bed, none of the clothing is hers.”

She said when her mom went to the facility, she was able to walk, but now Ione is frail and confused. Olson took Ione to the hospital and said she reported BrightStar to the elder abuse hotline. She also contacted the company’s owner, Susan Cooper.

“She told me that I should offer them a measure of grace because there’s been a lot going on with the hurricane,” Tonya Olson said. “I should offer them a measure of grace. My mother went from being able to live independently, being able to walk 100 feet, being able to manage yourself to barely being able to stand! She’s extremely ill because she didn’t have access to her medications because those people did not do what they signed up to be doing.”

When 8 On Your Side called Cooper, she did not answer the call. 

8 On Your Side’s Brittany Muller has been asking questions to city, county, and state leaders about this situation. After notifying DCF, a spokesperson responded: “I advise that you; along with the families you mentioned in your email, call the Abuse Hotline so that the proper actions can be taken. The Abuse Hotline number is 1-800-962-2873. More information about the Abuse Hotline can be found here.”

After some families making complaints to the hotline, they said their loved ones have been interviewed by Adult Protective Investigators with DCF.

“The corporations that own these two communities need to step up and find a way to assist the residents and provide security to protect their belongings,” City of South Pasadena Mayor Arthur Penny said. “I truly wish the city had more authority over this situation. So many of our citizens and those in neighboring cities have lost everything.”

“My understanding is that Senate Majority office spoke with the resident and reached out to both ACHA and the Department of Elder Affairs on their behalf,” said Stephanie Kreps, District Senior Legislative Aide for Sen. Nick DiCeglie. “The outcome of the Senate Majority’s inquiry was that ACHA was going to reach out to The Barclay of Pasadena to determine when the residents would be able to return to their homes and the Department of Elder Affairs was going to see if there are any additional resources for the resident. Both of the agencies said that they were going to reach out to that resident personally. With all of that being said, I am going to follow up with ACHA and the Department of Elder Affairs to address the additional issues you included in your email and to find out when the residents can return home.”

But because of this situation, Olson said her mom’s life is now at risk.

“It’s just an egregious dereliction of duties,” she said.

QSLM said they can terminate their lease without any penalties. If residents choose to do that, their belongings and furniture will be held until it’s safe to be picked up.

QSLM will be hosting an in-person Town Hall at The Barclay at Sarasota on Tuesday, Oct. 29. They did not provide a time.