Good Samaritan Village residents taking legal action

Director of public interest and litigation at Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida, Jeffrey Hussey, said they’ve been in touch with more than 100 Good Samaritan Village residents who were impacted or displaced after Hurricane Ian.

“Some people are still disturbed, some people are still, as you know, homeless. They’re living in hotels,” Hussey said.

Initially, they were helping residents by finding them housing and helping them apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

Now, they’re investigating potential negligence on Good Samaritan Village’s end.

“Did Good Sam convey any type of negligence that caused or could have prevented all of these problems from happening down there?” Hussey said.

After Hurricane Ian flooded much of the Good Samaritan Village community, residents moved into hotels like the Holiday Inn and the Red Lion before being moved to the Westgate Towers Resort where some still reside.

Hussey said during that time, residents were presented with two documents. One document allowed Good Samaritan to enter units and empty them. Another document, Hussey said, was a general release of their rights in exchange for getting their security deposits back.

“Which that raises red flags. Why were they so concerned about getting these releases? Do they know they did something wrong?” Husey said.

WESH 2 reached out to Good Samaritan Village for a response.

They sent us a statement saying:

“Refunds were issued automatically in accordance with residents’ occupancy agreements. Additionally, residents could authorize Kissimmee Village to dispose of the residents’ remaining personal property left at the campus if they did not wish to do it themselves.”

The Good Samaritan Society said they’re consolidating their services, which means new owners will be taking over locations in 15 states including Florida.

It’s unclear what the future will look like for residents who still live there.