AIMCO Flamingo South Beach Flamingo South Beach North Tower Over charges, Illegal discrimination, Threatening actions. Drug use, Unhealthy living conditions Maimi Beach Florida

One of my life’s regrets is moving into the Flamingo. I am writing this to help others avoid an extremely unpleasant living experience at the Flamingo. Here is a short list of issues I have had endure living in the Flamingo.

1. The 2nd week we moved in we had a leak in our walk-in closet from the air condition in the celling this water damage drenched most of our clothing and they had drying equipment installed for 3 days. To add insult to injury the same issue occurred again 6 weeks later. My main concern is mold and its health issues that it can create
2. 6 months after we moved there was a fire in the apt above flooding the entire apartment again with damage to the drywall and paint. And again, the mold issue.
3. Our appliances were very old and after took 6 maintenance requests in 5 months for replacement they gave us a new Washer/Dryer.
4. The in-unit washer/dryer takes 8 hours for one small load and do not dry properly the clothing.
5. On 6 different occasions between 1am and 3 am we were awoken the flamingo security staff at the door. The staff gave us a noise violations and eviction warnings for being too loud. Since we do not own a stereo and after the first warring I used a decibel meter and tested out the proper legal level for our TV volume. They continued to wake us up in the middle of the night with warnings. One explanation was that we were talking to loud during a dinner party with 6 guests that ended at 9 pm on a Friday night.
6. The fire alarms at the Flamingo are constantly going off all times of day and night. When I counted, there is an average of 4 per week both night and day. Several instances the alarm went on for over 40 minutes. So, the question I have is there a fire or not? How can tenants feel safe?
7. To add to the fire alarms there was a constant presents of fire trucks on a month basis you can expect to be woken up by a minimum of 3 visits from the Miami Dade fire department
8. The safety is also in question since we witnessed a constant stream of Police cars coming in and out of the Flamingo from our patio and bedroom windows twice a day or night.
9. At two different occasions, there were “Police Crime Scene Investigation” vans parked outside the both the entrance to our building and the management office. This would imply something very bad happened in the complex.  
10. 3 weeks before we moved out we witnessed a “Miami Crime Scene Cleaning” van at the front entrance. These services are hired to clean up the aftermath of a trauma.
11. There is a constant marijuana smell as you walk down the halls of the Flamingo and when I was discussing this issue at dinner with friends they stated that the Flamingo is a well know destination for drug sales. Later I confirmed this when on several occasions while I was waiting for an Uber at the main entrance, I witnessed different people handing cash and being handed items from cars that were driving by.  As well as 2 times I was asked by if I was looking for moly outside the front gate. The person selling drugs eventually walked back in the Flamingo gate.
12. Is very hard to be dropped off or picked up by Uber since the Flamingo has not provided the proper space and zoning for its tenant’s transportation. Also get ready to be harassed by the security staff while getting in or out of any type of transportation at the front gate.
13. There is a constant flow of “Escorts” both day/night in and out of the Flamingo which brings a bad element to the residence.
14. We could not keep up with the pool closings for construction. And at one point the area we enjoyed the most the grills and volley ball courts were permanently closed. I love to grill and by my calculations there are 2 grills for 3,200 tenants. This was a very passive aggressive move on the Flamingo’s management team.
15. 2 months after we moved in I was grilling at 7:30 and security asked me to stop grilling and to leave. At the time, I was quietly listing to my headphone and grilling food to take back to my apartment. I said that I would finish in 10 minutes and the security guard left only to return with a local police officer in an attempt to have me arrested. The police officer checked to see if I lived at the Flamingo an upon confirming that I was a resident, he told the Flamingo security staff I quote “to stop wasting his time” and left me to my grilling.
16. I spend time in the lobby and the management in an attempt to keep the wrong element from loitering the thought it was a good idea to turn off all the electrical outlets so resident could no longer can charge their laptops. Again, another passive aggressive move on the Flamingo managements part.
17. It is common knowledge that the elevator have been in repair for several years and at point the work is paused for months begging the question when if very will this project be completed.
18. The resort passes (not a good name for this item since the Flamingo is far from a resort) are constantly fail to work and can only be updated during the daytime. So 3 times I have had to take off work get this issue fixed.
19. The common area doors to our main entrance do not work for weeks on end.
20. There is mold and water damage in all hallways and a constant smell of urine in the stairwells thought the entire complex again a big health issue.
21. I was charged $319 for “paint and cleaning” move out charges after I painted the walls and had my place professionally cleaned. This is a very common way for the Flamingo to make extra money.
22. We had our service animal certified by a well-known legally certified “PhD Psychiatrist”. The Flamingo management team started putting threating letters under our door at 2 am waking us up on 4 different occasions. Were constantly threatened by management we would be evicted and charged a surprise $350 per month for damage fee. This fee we were never made aware of. After a meeting with the General Manager of the property she forced one of us to move out with the dogs in order to stop this harassment. This was an illegal act and a violation of our rights based on the actions of the Flamingo management.  
23. There were several surprise charges on our monthly statements for additional common area electrical “air-conditioning”. Since we were not made aware of the additional charges at the time we paid the rent the Flamingo charged a late fee of $150 three separate times.
24. We canceled our parking and they still had us on a reoccurring payment plan which again we received the bill for the parking plus a $150 late fee.
25. The court yard has a standing water in the planters and communal areas for the mosquitos to ignoring the Zika virus issues in Miami. Also, the pet owners are constantly battling the major flea infestation that the untreated lawn contains.
26. I have to questing the security of our hallway since numerous occasions drunk people banged on our door and tried to force their way in to our apartment.  
27. Our patio will consistently have burning cigarette butts thrown down from above. And the common balcony’s have underwear, towels, used condoms, and clothing laying there that have been blown off resident’s balconies and left for months with no cleaning done by the Flamingo management.
28. We have a pest infestation for a month that I had to spray for since management had no response to my request.
29. I witnessed 3 evection notices in my hallway in one week. This could be from the poor screening process offered by the Flamingo management
30. Constant exterior construction interrupted my sleep and daytime activities.
31. There is no way to receive large mail items, the Flamingo does not have a receiving room capable of handling these items. The Flamingo management solution is to just drop them unsecured in front of your door with no way to keep the item safe.
32. Residents leave their garbage in the common hall way because they cannot find the trash shoot. The shoot was poorly labeled and then the removed the signage after 8 months. Also the trash shoot constantly backs up to the 3^rd floor due to the Flamingo Management not having enough pickup’s scheduled.
33. There were several vandalism incident’s including in the parking garage. Cars were vandalized with spray paint. Here is the email from Management.

North Garage Vandalism Update

July 17, 2017

Dear Flamingo South Beach Resident,

I am writing to update you on the recent incident involving the spray painting of resident cars in the North Garage.  We are glad to report that the perpetrator was identified and arrested by Miami Beach police on Sunday.  Unfortunately he was one of our residents, and in accordance with our policy, we are pursuing his eviction from our community.

We are thankful for the police efforts to resolve this situation in a timely basis, with the cooperation of our community team.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for being a valued resident of the Flamingo community.

Sincerely,

Jxxxxx Mxxxxx

General Manager

305-XXX-XXXX

34. Drunk people sleeping in the lobby and courtyard are constant issue. Due to not having anyone manning each of the lobby desks.

35. 6 weeks after I moved out I received a bill for electrical sewer and water that was supposed to be included in my final rent.

36. I only posted this after receiving my deposit which in their writing states I will receive within 10 business days of your move (I received 39 days after the allotted time) in which the check was shorted by $319 dollars. (Based on several reviews stating that is a common practice for the Flamingo to not return deposits.)

Here is the Mission and Vision statement from AIMCO the management company of the Flamingo. 

OUR MISSION:

To consistently provide quality apartment homes in a respectful environment delivered by a team of people who care.

OUR VISION:

“To be the best owner and operator of apartment communities, inspired by a talented team committed to exceptional customer service, strong financial performance, and outstanding corporate citizenship.”

The Flamingo management did not “provide quality apartment homes in a respectful environment delivered by a team of people who care.” And as for the vision, we can clearly see that the main concern for Flamingo management is to have a “strong financial performance” with disregard to the tenant’s wellbeing.

Mine is one of many critical reviews for the Flamingo and the purpose of this is to make sure that any potential new tenants are aware of the discrimination, unethical practices, pour business acumen and general contempt for the residents that they may experience living at the Flamingo. Please consider your choice of the Flamingo.