United States v. Southwind Village, LLC (M.D. Fla.)

On December 15, 2015, the court entered a partial consent order in United States v. Southwind Village, LLC (M.D. Fla.), a Fair Housing Act pattern or practice case developed by the Division’s Fair Housing Testing Program.  The complaint, filed September 30, 2015, alleged that the owner and the manager of a mobile home and recreational vehicle park discriminated on the basis of race or color.  Specifically, the complaint alleges that the park manager, Carl Bruckler, falsely told prospective African American renters that there were no available recreational vehicle lots at the park and made other discouraging statements.  The partial consent order is only as to Defendant Southwind Village, LLC, the owner of the park, and requires Southwind Village, LLC to amend its rental policies, have employees undergo fair housing training, take steps to identify victims, establish a $35,000 victim compensation fund, and pay a $25,000 civil penalty. On November 8, 2016 the court entered a default judgment against Carl Bruckler which requires him to pay a $5,000 civil penalty to the United States.