TALLAHASSEE, FL — The owner of a Tallahassee mobile home park has agreed to reimburse Leon County $33,000 after a water outage left residents without service for several days during a stretch of freezing temperatures in late January and early February.
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Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC, which operates Florida Sun Estates Mobile Home Park, agreed to the reimbursement following a formal demand letter sent by the county on February 20, 2026. The company is also providing rent abatement to affected residents covering the period of February 1 through 6, 2026.
The agreement was outlined in a memo from Leon County Attorney Chasity H. O'Steen to the Leon County Board of County Commissioners dated March 13, 2026.
What happened
The water service issues began on January 31, 2026, during a period of repeated hard freezes and wind chills that caused water line breaks across Tallahassee, including at Florida A&M University and Florida State University dormitories and other commercial and residential properties.
According to a March 9, 2026, letter from Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC's attorney, James A. McKee of Foley & Lardner, the company says the outage resulted from three separate issues: main water line breaks on the company's side of the system, outages on the City of Tallahassee's supply line, and a resident who inadvertently closed a shut-off valve that affected more than their own residence.
McKee said the company deployed maintenance personnel, retained plumbing contractors, and coordinated with city technicians to address the issues. The letter states water service was fully restored at approximately 12 p.m. on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, as confirmed by individual meter flow readings.
A subsequent water line break occurred in the early morning hours of February 6, 2026, but was quickly repaired, according to the letter.
County emergency response
The Leon County Board of County Commissioners directed staff at its February 10, 2026, meeting to send a formal demand letter to Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC seeking repayment of $33,000 in county funds used to provide emergency services to residents.
Leon County emergency services arrived on site on the afternoon of February 4, 2026, with portable restrooms and showers. Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC contends that water service had already been fully restored before county emergency services arrived and that the portable facilities were not needed by its residents.
Reimbursement and next steps
Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC has agreed to repay the $33,000 but is requesting a payment plan to avoid strain on the company's cash flow. Leon County says staff will work with the company to develop the payment plan and any additional written documentation required. The company is not admitting any liability or wrongdoing as part of the agreement.
The company's letter also noted that 3 properties not owned by Florida Sun Estates 2 LLC are currently receiving water service through the company's water lines rather than directly from the City of Tallahassee. Residents of at least 2 of those properties were affected by the water outage. The company has requested the county's assistance in connecting those properties directly to city water service.
The company also disclosed that a required permit from the Florida Department of Health had lapsed during the course of the outage. The letter states the permit has since been renewed, and all permit issues have been resolved.
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