When the lone elevator at The Portland, a 12-story, income-restricted apartment building in downtown St. Petersburg, went out of service on Monday, life instantly got a lot more vertical for upper-floor tenants. Residents say the outage has meant long, grinding stair climbs, missed appointments and, for some older and disabled neighbors, days of being effectively stuck inside their homes.
Tenants told WTSP the elevator has been down since Monday, with building management sending just one email about the problem on Tuesday. Neighbors interviewed by the station described missed medical appointments and other disruptions. One of them, 65-year-old 12th-floor resident Greg Wasmund, said that just getting home now means tackling 176 stairs each way, a workout routine he never asked for.
Who runs the building
The Portland is managed by the Pinellas County Housing Authority, which lists the property as an income-restricted high-rise with on-site resident services and maintenance contacts. The authority's property page names a property manager and provides an after-hours emergency line for residents dealing with maintenance issues. Those details appear on the Pinellas County Housing Authority site.
Authority: Parts expected this weekend
A spokesperson for the Pinellas County Housing Authority told WTSP that replacement elevator parts were expected to arrive Friday or Saturday and that on-site staff are available to assist residents while the elevator is offline. Tenants who spoke with the station, however, said they have not felt adequately supported so far and described the response as falling short of what people in a 12-story building actually need when the elevator is out.
City advice and reporting
The City of St. Petersburg advises residents to call 911 in any emergency and to route ongoing building or code concerns through its service center and codes compliance portal. The city's service center site breaks down how to file complaints, which departments handle housing and code issues, and what follow-up residents can expect. Those instructions are posted on the City of St. Petersburg Service Center page.
A broader maintenance challenge
State records suggest elevator headaches are not unique to this building. Florida's Department of Business & Professional Regulation maintains public lists of elevators with failed or delinquent renewals, including entries tied to St. Petersburg properties. The listings highlight how inspection schedules, compliance requirements and parts sourcing can complicate repairs and keep residents waiting. The public reports from the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation show the elevator renewal data.
For now, tenants at The Portland say they will keep climbing the stairs until those promised parts arrive and crews can get the elevator moving again. The housing authority's property listing includes maintenance and after-hours contact information for residents, and city officials reiterate that anyone in immediate danger should call 911. The Pinellas County Housing Authority and the City of St. Petersburg Service Center remain the main points of contact cited by officials and residents.
