‘It’s hell’: life under the American mobile home king who calls himself a ‘grave dancer’

Billionaire Sam Zell is the largest mobile home landlord in the US, but his tenants say they reckon with disrepair, neglect, flooding and rising rents. Some have had enough

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Down Yonder mobile home park bills itself as downright relaxing". Located a few miles from the beaches of the Tampa Bay area, the 362-unit community touts numerous amenities for its residents such as a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, shuffleboard courts and warm weather.

These are what drew Colleen Gartner, 51, who moved to the park from Pennsylvania in November 2020 after being forced into retirement due to a disability. Like many Americans living in the north, she dreamed of getting away from cold winters and a retirement someplace warm.