Pinellas Park seniors left stranded in apartment building after elevator outage

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - Several seniors at a Pinellas Park apartment complex have been unable to leave their homes after the building’s elevator broke down nearly three weeks ago.

This outage at St. Giles Manor II has disrupted medical appointments and made it difficult for elderly residents to access groceries.

READ: Pinellas Park teen helps deliver newborn daughter at home

What we know:

The six-story building is designed for independent senior living. Without a working elevator, though, residents who live on upper floors must use the stairs.

Mae McElhattan, 95, lives on the sixth floor and hasn’t been outside since the elevator stopped working in late January.

"We have no way of getting our groceries or going downstairs," she said.

VIDEO: Pinellas Park woman jumps rope in intense ‘Spider Wall’ workout at Ninja Warrior training facility

McElhattan said she has been told multiple times that repairs were underway.

"They tell us it’s going to be repaired," she said. "They keep telling us, but it doesn’t happen."

Timeline:

A notice posted on the elevator by SPM Property Management stated that elevators would be fixed no later than Tuesday. That deadline has passed, as the elevator remains out of service.

McElhattan relies on her family for assistance and worries about other residents.

MORE: Pinellas Park business owner says he had check stolen from mail, caught it before he lost money

"I am very fortunate that I have my kids," she said. "Some people that live here don’t [have] anyone."

Her son, Dennis Klingensmith, flew from California to care for her. McElhattan suffered a stroke in mid-January and was released from the hospital a few days before the elevator at St. Giles Manor II stopped working.

Since then, Klingensmith has been checking on other residents and delivering their groceries.

What they're saying:

 "It’s like no one cares," he said. "There are seniors in this building and no one’s here to help them."

Klingensmith said his mother has missed doctor’s appointments because she cannot walk down six flights of stairs.

READ: ‘Florida Man’s home’ in Pinellas Park could become Airbnb under new owners

"She needed medication, the doctor said he couldn’t give it to me unless she was here," he said. "I can’t carry my mom downstairs and carry her back upstairs."

The other side:

A sign posted near the front office at St. Giles Manor II indicated that the staff was out of town for a conference.

FOX 13’s Blake DeVine reached out to a representative on behalf of SPM Property Management. That employee said a technician was working on the elevator and said it will be repaired by Wednesday. Until it’s fixed, several seniors remain unable to leave the building.