Five years ago this place was beautiful with all it's tropical plants, and the management was great! Then a new manager came in, and she has let the place run down since 2004. The pool has holes in the gunite on all sides and bottom. They never shock the pool, and their are lots of kids peeing in it. Their excuse is that they would have to close the pool..Some residents have gotten sick and they still won't shock the pool. The residents would rather have it closed overnight once a week, than get the many diseases and parasites that you can contract. The grounds are pityful- The guy who calls himself a "Landscaper" just mows, and hangs out talking to residents for 40 hrs. every week. There are thousand of $$ in tropical plants, all overgrown with vines or asparagus fern. This guy never pulls a weed, instead the residents take care of the areas by their entries and porches, so they can walk by, and keep the rats away. There are rats in all this undergrowth by apt. porches and around the pool. It has truely turned into a dump! Car break-ins are frequent, and non-residents are always using the washers and dryers in the laundry near the pool, so residents have to wait to use the machines..If you call the office rarely does anyone answer, and the manager is out of the office more than in. Everyone is afraid to tell her about the problems, because she has such an attitude towards them after that. I suggest you look for a place that is not turned into the getto!

User Responses
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/15/2008
Our community is wonderful. It did have it's problems for a short time but they were being addressed by the manager you are so obviously slamming. Children have always played in the pool and they have had accidents in the pool, before and since the manager you are speaking of was in the office. To think otherwise is silly. Are you trying to say that the little ones did this only when she was here? Please be more adult with your comments when you are speaking about my home. There are many plants that are old and need to be replaced. That is something management and owner must take care of and at this time I am sure there are many more important things to address. You have to admit it looks much nicer now. As far as rats go well all I can say is they come up from the canal when the water gets high and they are dealt with but remember management has to be careful about what means it uses since Marcell Gardens is a pet friendly community and what if someones pet got into poison or a trap? What would you do if it was your pet? Would you throw another tantrum and blame it all on management? You know as well as I do that some people do not follow the rules and keep their pet on a leash when outside so it is not only management that is at fault with this problem. Also the manager you are speaking of locked the doors to one of the laundries that had the worst problem. Now residents have no problem. I never had any trouble contacting the manager. If she was out all calls were forwarded to her cell phone and she always addressed problems promptly. And when you say everyone is afraid to tell her about problems let me tell you that is speaking for many people and I was in the office many times and I can not remember a time when someone didn't come in with something they needed help with. They were not afraid. Who are you to be speaking for everyone? My dear if you had a problem it is because you made it yourself with your whining constantly about things that were not an emergency just to get some attention. I am sorry but your review of my home is insulting and the fact that I believe you still live here just proves my point. Oh and some of us take care of the front entry ways to our apartments because we enjoy working outside and we feel lucky to be allowed to do this. It is fun for us. Shame on you.
From: Anonymous	Date: 04/16/2008
I agree wholeheartedly with this second post. I've been living here for 5 years and love every minute of it. The place is a garden from front to back, this is Florida, not Michigan. We live in the sub tropical weather and Marcell management gives us full opportunity to enjoy it. I also frequent the office, moreso than most any individual that lives here. The only conflicts I've even seen were from unruly tenants being told they can't be doing whatever it they're trying to do. The place has a well instituted and protected rule system. It's there for safety and protection of all tenants and their guests. Another thing, in 5 years, 25% of the time my vehicles are locked, and roughly just over that figure, my home is locked, and I never ever had anything taken from me nor have I ever heard of snything like they said happening. I feel very safe here and have since the day I moved in. Some people that live here would complain if their rent was free. They'll complain because the sun came up or the sun went down. What the poster above did was let out unwarranted steam in the wrong direction. If his/her life is so miserable then he/she should of moved a long time ago. I work damn hard for my money and half my life is spent at work and the other half at home, if either one wasn't clean, safe, and friendly, you can bet I wouldn't be writing about or still working where I do. If it was that bad, I'd surely move and I'd sure have something different to say here AFTER I did. There's many a less desirable places to live, I do suggest you find one, you just may fit in better.
From: boatmaster	Date: 07/11/2008
Are you sure you live at Marcell Gardens? The car break-ins have gotten so bad that I am told, they now they have an old man walk around at night looking for trouble. The apts. have a problem with black mold in many of them, and the city says if it is in one apt., it will spread to all eventually. The pool is an eyesore, full of holes and is rarely shocked to prevent disease. The laundry by the pool has very few machines that work well and the some of dryers don't dry. I moved due to these problems. You need to wake up and pay attention. Watch out for the snakes that live all around the overgrown bushes by the apts.!
From: GardenLady44	Date: 08/11/2008
I am so sorry that you were not happy during your stay at Marcell Gardens. I do know about the recent episode with cars being broken into. In these troubled times crime is going up everywhere. I feel fortunate to live in a place where this problem was dealt with quickly by hiring a Security Guard to walk the property. He is a deterent to noise, theft,speeding, and any other emergency that may arise. I think this was a wise move on managements part to keep us all secure and I appreciate it. If you would bother to check many other complexes have security walking their properties at night and have had for some time. BLACK MOLD! Oh my gosh, I am afraid that is a bit extreme. There is a mildew problem in some of the apartments because the resident keeps their home dark with the blinds closed constantly, does not keep the air conditioniing cool which makes things dark and humid. Some also have a housekeeping issue which contributes to this problem. I believe it there was a black mold problem the city would have to report this and the whole complex would have to be made aware and maybe even have to move so I think you have misquoted something or someone that you heard. I am afraid that if the pool is not up to your expectations that is a matter of opinion. No it is not new but it seems many of the residents seem to enjoy it just the same and I saw it closed twice this month alone to be shocked. Many of the washers and dryers at Marcell do need to be replaced I am afraid but this is not due to the lack of trying. They all have been replaced at least once and many twice since I have lived here, which is for about 10 years now. I am afraid all the machines are abused regularly by tenants by not cleaning the junk out of their pockets before loading it into the machines, things such as change, paper, and other small articles get washed and/or put in the dryers because someone is not paying attention and cause damage, not to mention the overloading of the machines, and not staying in the laundry room to make sure the loads are balanced when they spin out. I have heard the machines banging around so badly I think they are going to walk their way right out of the laundry room! Then people can not understand why their clothing is still soaked after the final spin or how come the dryer couldn't dry them correctly. I am afraid that whatever problems Marcell has they are no worse than any other place and it is much nicer than some. And just a short response the the comment about snakes, this is a bit sarcastic I am afraid but "ARE YOU SURE YOU LIVE IN FLORIDA?" Good grief, someone spots a grass snake and everyone has to make it sound like a Sci-Fi movie. You are the one walking in your sleep and hopefully you are happy where you are now.

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