Pasco County fire officials address building codes after Cobalt Apartments fire

WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - After a fire at a Wesley Chapel apartment complex left more than 150 people displaced, Pasco County fire officials are addressing many concerns about fire safety.

The fire was sparked by a lightning strike at the Cobalt Apartments last month.

Wesley Chapel apartment fire

What we know:

Fire officials said a lightning strike started the fire in Building 2 of the Cobalt Apartments on Aug. 20. 

The bolt disabled the building's fire alarm panels and damaged roofing systems, as flames spread throughout the building.

Pasco County Fire Rescue says nearly 2 million gallons of water were dumped onto the blaze, which triggered multiple structural collapses throughout the building.

Pasco County officials condemned the building after the fire damaged more than 100 units.

Pasco County commission codes

The backstory:

At a Pasco County Commission meeting last week, commissioners questioned whether building codes could be updated. 

The fire chief explained that under the current system followed by the apartment complex, sprinklers are not required in the attic. 

Operating under a higher-graded system is significantly more expensive.

The fire chief noted that multi-family complexes under three stories were not required to have sprinkler systems at all until 2020 or 2021. 

Lightning protection

Dig deeper:

Florida Building Commission officials looked at mandatory lightning protection in 2018, but proposed changes failed to meet the threshold for adoption.

"For every building, other than a hospital, that is regulated by OCHA, lightning protection is not required," county officials said. "Similarly, the running cost for the lightning protection system is about 1 to 3% additional to the cost of the total project. Now, however, the Florida Building Commission did look at lightning protection in 2018, and those changes failed to meet the threshold to become adopted."

Guynn and county officials addressed questions about potential changes to the building code following the fire.

They said codes are set at the state level, and that changes need to be based on local data.

Unanswered questions

What we don't know:

At a Pasco County commission meeting on Sept. 9, county officials said they're waiting to hear from the property owners regarding their plans for the condemned structure.

"We are also looking to know what the owner's plans are for recovery or salvage of personal items," county officials said.

County officials said they don't know the current status of the building and haven't received any reports back from property management. 

Those reports would go to the Fire Marshal's Office.

Several displaced residents argue that property management has not been in touch with them about next steps.

Cobalt Apartments legal action

Local perspective:

An Orlando law firm says it's representing more than two dozen displaced residents.

Attorney Lucie Robinson said they've reached out to property management but haven't gotten a response.

"The entire building is not completely destroyed by the fire, so like, the units at the bottom are more structured and put together, so there are people who are going inside that property and they're not completely secured," Robinson said. "That's a huge concern, as well for our residents, because they don't have the opportunity to salvage their property that is in good condition."

Robinson says they're doing their own inspection and investigation to determine if there's any legal action that can be taken.

"Really trying to make people whole," she said. "I mean, this is a really traumatic incident that occurred for these residents. You know, your home is somewhere where you should feel safe, especially in an apartment where you have limited control over the safety protocols there. And so being able to provide compensation for them to make them feel whole again, because these people lost everything."

Apartment response

The other side:

Fox 13 reached out to the Cobalt Apartments again for a response to recent concerns from residents.

A spokesperson for property management shared the following statement Monday afternoon:

"We have maintained continuous communication with any of the 83 impacted households who have contacted us, and much of that communication has occurred individually because each resident’s circumstances and needs are different. Those conversations have covered relocation options, transfers, move‑outs, rent credits, security deposits, personal‑property concerns, and available resources. We have also continued providing community‑wide updates related to fire‑watch status, inspections, repairs, amenity impacts, and access restrictions.

Regarding rent, leases, and next steps: Residents who moved out of Building 2 received prorated/credited August rent and deposit processing. Residents who transferred onsite received prorated August credits, September rent at no charge, waived transfer fees, and short‑term lease flexibility. We also assisted displaced residents who chose to relocate to sister communities.

On access to Building 2 and personal belongings: The building was condemned by the appropriate governmental authorities due to catastrophic structural damage. This was not a management decision, and we are legally prohibited from allowing anyone — residents, staff, or vendors — to enter the structure until authorities determine it is safe. Residents seeking retrieval of personal items have been directed to the fire investigator, as authorization for entry is outside of management’s control.

On communication and social media: Residents have not been blocked from contacting management for raising concerns or expressing frustration. Our team remains available by phone, email, and in person. We have moderated social media only when misinformation or personal attacks against staff were posted, but this does not prevent any resident from contacting us through established channels. There is one isolated situation involving a resident whose account was temporarily blocked at the direction of law‑enforcement personnel during an active investigation. This is not reflective of our broader communication practices.

On community donations: During the immediate emergency response, our onsite team assisted with receiving, organizing, and distributing donated items that were being brought directly to the property and filling the clubhouse. Once the volume of donations became too large to manage onsite, the remaining goods were transitioned to third‑party/community partners and moved to offsite storage. Impacted residents seeking access to additional donated items have since been directed to First Day Ready, who has been coordinating those resources in affiliation with the Red Cross."

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