Power Restored In Liberty City Apartment Complex

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Electrician Tony White worked to repair a mess of an electrical meter room all day Friday in the Liberty City apartment complex at 1231 NW 61st St.

"Some of these things were tampered with," he told CBS4's Natalia Zea as he pointed to a tangle of wires and meters.

The property manager hired him to do the work and he stepped into a controversial firestorm that's lasted for the better part of a week.

It started when tenant Jemeena Grimes spoke out publicly, furious that someone cut her power which she admits was not hooked up legally. She blamed the property manager for it saying it was revenge for complaining about other issues in the building.

"We live amongst rats, roaches, mold, mildew," she said in a previous interview.

The building is owned by Miami Beverly LLC. The same company owns a building that was the subject of a CBS4 Housing Horrors investigation.

City Inspectors came out to 1231 NW 61st St and quickly realized serious electrical work was necessary to bring this building's electric system to code.

Inspectors warned they may have to cut power to the entire building, worrying tenants, like David Brown who needs to charge a special machine to drain his ulcer.

But White and the tenants say Friday the City approved the electrical repairs.

"The inspector said he checked it out and seeing everything was straight and everything, the power will still be on for everybody," Brown told Zea.

If that's true, FPL says that means the power would not have to be cut.

"I love it, that way I aint got to go to Jackson in emergency," said Brown.

FPL tells me only the tenants in six of these apartments have a legitimate account with them. But now after the complaints and the inspections, that is going to change.

FPL sent the tenants a letter, essentially ordering them to get their accounts in good standing in the next four days, or risk losing their electricity. Brown says he has no problem with that.

"Everybody happy, they have a smile on their face. Everything gonna be alright."

CBS4 News reached out numerous times to the City of Miami's Building Department, and the Commissioner for the area to confirm whether the new electric work passed inspection.

They have not returned out calls or emails.

Zea also checked with FPL who says the City has not contacted them to shut off power to the building.