Sabal Palm at Metrowest (Orlando, Pine Hills: environment, hoa fees, income)

[Duque-owners]

Hi everybody! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I am moving to Orlando in January and considered Sabal Palm for renting. It will hopefully be only for a year. After I have signed for papers, I am encountering a lot of bad fuzz about this community. Does any one have any good comments or are all those comments true?

Thank you and enjoy the festivities!

[compelled to reply]

The amazing thing is that this community (used to be) beautiful. When I lived in Orlando I had a friend that lived there. As soon as someone was raped by their staircase, they sure enough broke their lease and left. They seemed to start letting the wrong people in, and it became a hotbed for all sorts of crime, including some really brazen robberies of single mothers and homicide. Lots of car burglaries, lots of violence, and in an environment where you just wouldn't expect it.

thaspecial should have some good, more up to date advice on safe rentals. He is a pizza delivery man in the area and if you can feel safe delivering pizza, you can certainly feel safe living there.

[msaRick]

I live a few miles from that place, and a friend moved out about a year ago. I almost moved there, but decided to go a little further into Metro West instead. Crime has gotten a lot better for Metro West as a whole, thanks to the steped up, privately paid for police force. (the developer has used HOA fees to hire off-duty cops). I just saw a report on violent crimes for Metro West, and we're down to like 1 a month. That being said, the problem with Sabal Palms is that its just on the Edge of Metro West, on Raliegh St. Raliegh St. shoots straight into Pine Hills. The immedite area, i.e the Winn Dixie shopping center, the Walgreens on Kirkman, etc. is not very nice. 2 miles makes a big difference on this side of town. Sabal Palms also does not have the people living there. The location causes them to have lower rents than most of Metro West, and lower rents leads to lower people. (I'm speaking in generalities here, so please, don't post a response informing me that poor people can be nice too, etc. The fact is, the lower the median income, the higher the crime, whether from community to community, city to city, or complex to complex).

Summary: I wouldn't live there with a girlfriend, but I would by myself.

[VaNative]

I agree with the other posters....look someplace else. I've heard too many bad things about Sabal Palms to recommend it.

[Duque-owners]

Thanks everybody for the comments!!