One watchdog agency says a Boca Raton ordinance makes it impossible for families to live in some residential complexes.
The Fair Housing Center of the Greater Palm Beaches is suing the city and the owners of three apartment complexes. It claims the policy discriminates against families.
The federal lawsuit filed Tuesday focuses on apartments specifically for college students.
The lawsuit explains a city policy requires complexes designed for students to rent rooms, not apartments. That policy also limits one person to each room.
The FHC president said if a college student with a child under the age of 18 wants to live in the complex, their child would have to get their own room. But an underage child cannot lease a room. The Fair Housing Center called this practice discriminatory.
“When there is an ordinance and there are policies and procedures that exclude those families from nice, decent, affordable housing, it’s very, very troubling,” said Vince Larkins, the president of the Fair Housing Center of The Greater Palm Beaches.
A spokesperson from the city of Boca Raton said the city had not been formally served and is not commenting on the lawsuit at this time.
The lawsuit names Park Partners Residential, Giles Capital Group, Lewis Rental Properties, Rosemurgy Properties and Preiss Company as defendants. All these companies are connected to University View, University Park, and University Square complexes.
If you think you’ve been discriminated in this way, call the Fair Housing Center at 1-877-910-3247.