TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — The City of Tallahassee’s legal counsel is alleging that City Walk Urban Mission’s shelter staff let three dead bodies sit in the property for days.
The city’s attorneys writing out this allegation in a legal response to City Walk after they took the shelter’s operators to court over a lack of a fire sprinkler system. They also noted past permitting and fire code violations.
Operator of City Walk Renee Miller said they will move once they have a place secured and money to make it happen to resolve the issue. But, Miller said mentioning these deaths is adding insult to injury.
“That they would use the individuals, and disrespect the dead and their families to try to use this to get their way in a court that has nothing to do with fire safety,” Miller said. “There have been three individuals that we have taken care of very proudly and lovingly until they took their last breath.”
Miller said her shelter is one of the few that takes in terminally ill people experiencing homelessness.
But, the operator said the City of Tallahassee’s claim that the three dead bodies were left for days is false.
This claim is something that City Attorney Cassandra Jackson said is worrisome.
“It is relevant to the hearing we had because it shows the care that is being taken and the compliance with various policies and procedures or the lack there of,” Jackson said.
The legal back and forth started back in 2021 when the city cited City Walk does not have proper permitting for residential use.
“We have been trying to work with City Walk to help it become compliant with the city’s ordinances since almost the day it opened it’s doors,” Jackson said. “The city is very helpful in providing information as to how you can accomplish a change of use.”
However, Miller said the city has not been helpful and made it nearly impossible for her to get proper permitting that she needs to install sprinklers.
“We don’t have the change of use and getting the building permit for that change of use is kind of a catch 22,” Miller said.
To pay for the new building, Miller is requesting people to shop at City Walk’s thrift store and donate on their website via their online donation portal.
