Note: I did an edit because there were some changes recently. I have left my original comments followed by my edited comments so you can see what has changed.

Looked non-stop for 3 weeks looking for a place in Tampa and St. Pete before settling here. Must have looked at 50 different rentals (homes too). Been living here for a year now. Looked at other places to rent as my lease was expiring and wasn??t excited about what I saw so I renewed for another year. Rental space is a premium in the Tampa/St.Peter area as ALOT of former rentals has gone condo. Rent is a tad over what you may expect but most rentals in the Tampa or St. Pete area seem that way. This part of Florida is no picnic for renters.

Living spaces are average size. Largest walk-in closets and bathrooms I have seen in any master bedroom in the area. We have a screened off patio with a huge storage closet space as well. Overall decent living space. Staff is courteous when we go in. No issues with noise and that??s one of my huge pet peeves as I work odd hours. Very, very satisfied with the living space.

Deposit was reasonable but the region I came from normally wanted 2 months rent up front for a deposit. Anything to me was better than that.

Moderate gripe. Parking space is a premium; get here after 6 PM and you??re walking. Only way to guarantee good parking is by renting a garage. I can live with that though. No biggie.

Now with the bad. My biggest gripe with this place is the upkeep of the grounds and maintenance. Trash situation is terrible. No one seems to police after themselves, tenants nor management. Cigarette butts all over the place. The trash compactor that is on one side of the building is surrounded by a privacy fence but it??s surrounded with filth. Over in the next parking lot they have what seems to be a semi-public dump site that accumulates mass amounts of trash. The trash dumped here doesn??t fit in the compactor. Granted tenants are doing the dumping but I really don??t see management trying to stop it either. Silence implies consent. The situation leads an observer too one of two conclusions: the grounds keepers and maintenance personnel are running the show and ignore managements wishes or the management is lazy and has no will to fix the situation. Either or is a failure.

If management were to fix the bad I mentioned above I would rate this place a 4.5. A 5 if they fixed the parking.

Edit:

Over the last month and a half the trash situation has improved dramatically. The dumpster area has been cleaned up. The ??public dump?? area has been cleaned as well. The management placed an additional dumpster at the old public dump site so people can continue throwing their waste away. That??s awesome!!!!

Other edit notes that may be of interest:

I live here but work in Tampa. Don??t ask me why but gas is 15-20 cents cheaper in St. Pete than in Tampa.

This location is kind of odd as it is more of an industrial area but Carillon exists within a business park so there is a nice seclusion that exists for this area.

Since we are in a business park area there is some good running in and around here if that is your thing. There are some jogging trails up the street as well. There is an AWESOME 24 hour gym/wellness center at St. Anthony??s hospital ($175 enrollment / $45 a month. No contract, month to month basis) about ?? of a mile from the apartment complex.

If you want to have a private drink with friends and stay close to home you can rip one up at the Hilton, Radisson or Courtside Grille within the business park area.

I have read about people complaining regarding the price of rent. Read the comments above. Rent is high in the Tampa Bay area. Renters all over are feeling the pinch.

Nothing you can do about neighbors. Don??t fool yourself into thinking if you spend $2k on rent a month that is going to protect you from loud or crappy neighbors. You??ll just be frustrated to see 4 college students living next door, having parties till 2AM, sharing the cost of that $2k rent. Ask anyone that lives in and around SOHO. That is the evils of renting. It isn??t a home. Can??t blame the apartment complex if the tenants suck.

If an apartment complex is 5-7 years old it tends to be an industry practice to slap some new paint and change the carpet out after each tenant move. This includes home rentals. No business is going to install expensive carpet or spend the time to strip the walls and replace all the rusty screws in the bathroom. If you have done a lot of renting you know what I am talking about. When you start hitting the 18-24 you notice the little odd ball things start falling apart. You get fed up and you move. Then they come in throw some fresh paint, patch things up and the next bubba moves in. All the mean while you just rented another place to experience the same thing again. The evils of renting.

User Responses
From: ellaliekwhoa	Date: 02/09/2007
I'm so glad I saw this review. I'm looking to move closer to the bridge (and to the Wellness Center for that matter because that gym freaking rocks) but there were so many negative things said about this place that I was hesitant. After reading this review, I'll at least go and check it out now. Thanks!

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