KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Dozens of tenants at a Kissimmee hotel say they’re being forced out on the streets with little notice. The colorful Magic Castle Inn & Suites is known for being featured in the movie, The Florida Project, which focuses on homeless families. In reality, the hotel is home to about 30 transient tenants. 

Breanna Major looks down from the third-floor balcony at the Magic Castle where she can see recently dropped off equipment like a bulldozer, shipping containers and industrial sized dumpsters. Major said the owners told her they have to leave the property as soon as possible.

“People have to figure out what they’re gonna do. You can’t just drop a bomb on them and not expect them to be upset,” Major said. 

Major, her boyfriend and their two kids moved here from Arizona and are starting over. She takes care of the little ones and is also working on her degree. She will graduate next month. Her boyfriend works at Papa John’s, but she says it’s just hard to make ends meet.

“Like an apartment down here by ourselves is over two thousand dollars,” she added. “Who can afford that?” 

Major’s family is one of the many who are looking for a new place to stay. Some of them are also employees at the Magic Castle and are not just losing their home but their jobs as well. 

Community leaders and those who run support groups behind the scenes gathered to help move those in need.

“This is going to continue to happen which is why it is so important that we all work together to spread that message that Osceola county has to collaborate and work with others, which is what we’re doing behind us,” Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said. “It is the only way to get things done when it comes to helping our residents who are stuck in a situation like this regardless of reason. We need to be there to help them.”   

The owners of the hotel, who said they have allowed some people to stay at no cost in the past, have had the hotel for 17 years and are in the middle of selling the hotel because they want to retire. These current owners said new ownership wants the property to be empty. 

Major said she’s just caught in between. “I would like to see some type of change. People being more compassionate,” Major explained. “Everyone has their own situation, but what about the people that have nobody to turn to.” 

Spectrum News 13 spoke to an attorney who explained that while these folks may not have leases or contracts, they still have rights. They need to be given a written notice and, depending on how they pay, that will regulate the timeframe they are given to leave the property. According to Florida statute, when the tenancy is week to week, tenants need to be given at least seven days’ notice to vacate.

Osceola County told Spectrum News 13 that the Magic Castle Inn & Suites has come in for a pre-development meeting to convert the hotel to apartments in the past, but the Community Development Department has not received any applications for development since then.