A new program to address apartment safety is now up and running thanks to the Miya Marcano Foundation.
What You Need To Know
- The Miya Marcano Foundation aims to improve apartment safety after 19-year-old Marcano was killed in September of 2021
- The group started an accreditation program aimed at improving safety features at apartment homes
- The process looks for locks on sliding doors, lighting in public areas and deadbolts on doors
The new program was created after the 19-year-old Marcano was killed in September, 2021. Investigators say she was killed by a maintenance worker who accessed her apartment near the University of Central Florida with a master key.
Landlords and property managers can pay to take part in the foundation's Safe and Secure Apartment Accreditation Program, which launched Friday.
As part of the program, apartment complexes and multi-dwelling units will be rated based on criteria approved by Rat Pack Security Worldwide. Security experts will do an audit on safety protocols and hiring practices and will look for safety measures like deadbolts on doors and locks on sliding doors, secure lighting, landscaping and security cameras.
"I really wish that this program was in place before this tragedy happened with my daughter," said Marcano's mother Yma Scarbriel.
The Foundation is reaching out to apartment complexes, but they also want renters to check out the criteria they are looking for in the audits so they can be better informed when making decisions on a unit.
The program launched just days before what would have been Marcano's 20th birthday on April 26.