One tenant faced eviction just days after his son was murdered.
Mayoral candidate and current St. Petersburg City Council member Robert Blackmon is facing scrutiny from a city tenant union after filing a series of eviction lawsuits following his acquisition of Paradise Apartments, a 10-unit complex in South St. Pete.
The cases feature residents who have lived at the property for years, some of whom were only slightly behind on rent, and one tenant who faced eviction just days after his son was murdered.
The eviction cases raise bigger questions among tenants and community activists about gentrification and affordable housing in the city — a platform Blackmon has advocated for in his mayoral campaign.
Blackmon became the owner of the complex, which houses primarily lower-income residents, on April 30. He bought the property from former landlords Gerald Caravan and Diane Shockley.
But, since acquiring the property, trouble has been brewing in Paradise.
