Business owners pushed out of building

7 years ago
68

Business owners at the Atrium Suites in Fort Myers are furious at their new landlord Matt Hurley. They say he refuses to honor their lease agreements and is now going to extreme lengths to force them off of the property.   One of those business owners is Steve Schafer who owns a post office in the building.  "People have disappeared as the building services have been shut off. I've been without air conditioning for six weeks now", he told Fox 4. Schafer has owned the post office in Atrium Suites for years and has been trying to negotiate with the new owner. He says the first indication he got that his lease wouldn't be honored was this tweet Hurley posted two days ago.  In the tweet, Hurley admits that the post office in the building will close but blames it on Schafer's unwillingness to negotiate. In it he says the following,  "We have received dozens of phone calls, emails, and texts regarding the future of the Atrium Post Office. Today, We regret to announce that the postal partnership and coin shop that has been occupying space at the Atrium for nearly 40 years will be closing it's doors. Our office has spent countless hours attempting to work a deal with the current tenants. Unfortunately, Steve Schafer and his family have made clear their lack of interest in being a part of the development's future. We are disappointed in their unwillingness to negotiate; however, at this time we will focus our teams energy on finding the correct company to provide postal and pack and ship services to the hundreds of future Innovation Center tenants as well as those who call College Parkway home."  Two days later, the phone and internet have been cut off and Schafer is finding it difficult to conduct business. "It [the internet]  shut off today along with the phone service. It says the phone service has been suspended, so all my customers think their post office doesn't pay their bills." Another business owner who says they're being pushed out is Gloria Jordan. Jordan owns the restaurant next door to Schafer's post office. She says she hadn't heard anything from the landlord until two weeks ago.

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