A Florida man is determined to be the last one standing against a $600 million commercial development by refusing to sell his home.
Orlando Capote told CBS4 News that his father bought the home in 1989, after arriving in Coral Gables after escaping Cuba. Although the development company has offered him large sums of money repeatedly, Capote says to him, the modest family home is priceless.
“The house is my soul. So what good is it to sell your soul for all the money in the world,” he told the outlet.
Capote lost his father in 2005 and his mother in 2020. Before her death, she made it clear numerous times that she did not want the house to be sold.
Over the last six years, developers, real estate agents, and house flippers have made Capote more than 60 offers. Some offers have reached up to $900,000 for the 1,300 square foot, two-bedroom, two-bathroom home.
Now, the home has been surrounded by the most ambitious commercial development in the city’s history. The house now sits smack in the middle of a construction zone for The Plaza Coral Gables, the New York Post reports. It will feature retail shops, restaurants, office space, residences, and even a 242-room luxury hotel.
Capote also accuses the city of breaking numerous codes on top of destroying his property.
“You can see some of the trash that has already fallen on the side,” said Capote.
“Which would not happen if the building was actually 35 feet high or at least 50 feet away.”
City officials maintain the massive development has not broken any laws or fire codes.
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