Sweetwater, FL – Tenants at 109 Tower, the newest off-campus student apartment building in Sweetwater, pay up to $939 per person to live in one of the most desirable developments in Sweetwater, with amenities unmatched by any currently-available off-campus housing. They enjoy ultra-modern fully furnished apartments that even include a Tempur-Pedic mattress, modern common areas that include a “resort-inspired” pool, and the convenience of living close to campus. Besides the negative press for the ridiculously scarce parking for tenants and visitors at 109 Tower, it seems like a perfect place for students to live in. Except, students recently submitted photos and video that show the poor condition of the pool, which includes rust stains, cigarette butts clogging the pool drains and trash all over the pool; walk anywhere near the pool and you’ll notice a terrible smell is present around the pool. Tenants also complain about elevators that routinely go out of service and wild parties that last through the night. All these complaints might be surprising for many to learn, as 109 Tower recently opened in August of last year.
One FIU student who asked to remain anonymous talked to us about her experience. She moved into 109 Tower when it opened in August of 2014 and told us she’s filed numerous written and in-person complaints with management about the facilities since October of last year regarding the filthy pool and the elevators. Management seems slow to respond. “I wrote to them a million times and they don’t respond. I’ve gone downstairs to complain as well and they said that the maintenance guy wasn’t there until the following week. I went back the next week and the pool was still gross.” Within the past two semesters, the elevators have also been out of service on a routine basis, with some tenants having to wait up to 20 minutes to go downstairs or take the stairs up the 15-story building. Tenants just want management to keep the place clean and the elevators in working condition.
109 Tower Response
When phoned for a comment, an employee at the 109 Tower management said they’ve hired cleaning staff that comes in twice a week and pool maintenance staff that comes in once a week. When asked how often the pool gets cleaned or when the pool would be cleaned, the employee responded by forwarding me to the maintenance manager, listed on the 109 Tower website as Jose Hernandez. In response to the elevators not working, the 109 Tower employee said, “unfortunately, we can’t handle the way elevators work”, she also added, “students have jumped inside the elevator” on multiple occasions which might be contributing to the elevators being out of service so many times.
When asked to comment on what 109 Tower is doing to retain tenants or attract new tenants to the building, she responded by pointing out the limited on-campus/off-campus housing for students and added that “there will be more than enough students for everyone”.
Video: 109 Tower Pool
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We’ll keep updating this article as we get more information. Do you live at 109 Tower or other student housing? What has been your experience? Comment below or email us: tips@sweetwaterpost.com
Update – 5/2/15
During a recent visit to the 109 Tower pool, we were able to verify the pool has been cleaned and the pool area is looking better than ever. View recent 109 Tower Pool pictures below.
