Dozens of people displaced by Hurricane Milton three months ago were displaced again when a fire broke out at 5:39 a.m. Friday on the second floor of the Imperial Swan Hotel & Suites.
No people were injured, but “a dog was found deceased in the room where the fire originated,” Lakeland Fire Department spokeswoman Stephanie Lewis said.
The fire wasn’t entirely surprising to residents, or to Lakeland officials, who threatened to shut down the 8-story, 168-room hotel last week after it failed a fire inspection.
Failed inspection: Fire Marshal David Sutherland said he gave the hotel owner a punch list of 22 violations that needed to be addressed immediately. He also reached out to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been paying for many of the residents’ stays, to report the substandard conditions.
However, Sutherland said he and Lakeland’s building official initially held off on shutting the hotel because the owner was working to address the deficiencies. “There’s a lot of factors involved in displacing people that are already displaced. We were hoping not to have to displace people.”
The fire changed that. “As a safety precaution, guests will be permitted to reenter the building briefly to retrieve their belongings but will not be allowed to remain in the facility. This decision was made by the Fire Marshal out of concern for life safety,” the fire department said in a news release.
Unknown cause: Sutherland said the blaze broke out in a room on the second floor and “the sprinkler system activated and put out the fire.” It was unclear what started the fire. He said the state fire marshal will do a thorough “cause and origin” investigation.
Hardship for families: Residents, including many women and young children, huddled under blankets in the parking structure as the morning temperatures hovered around 51 degrees. Many pleaded with police to let them return to their rooms briefly to retrieve purses, keys, diapers or baby formula. But officers said it wasn’t safe because of “chemicals.”
Lewis said there was no official hazardous materials response, but “our firefighters did mention that when they arrived on scene, there was a chemical smell of some sort … they were not able to really locate what it was.”
Shortly after 9 a.m., the Lakeland Police Department’s community outreach team arrived with quilts, water, food, baby formula and diapers. “The Red Cross has been contacted, and I believe they are responding as well,” LPD spokeswoman Stephanie Kerr said.
Poor conditions: At one time, the Imperial Swan Hotel was a well-reviewed establishment and had a relationship with the Detroit Tigers, hosting many players during Spring Training. However, in recent times, online reviews have been overwhelmingly negative.
The hotel has had 3 routine inspections and 18 inspections triggered by complaints since Feb. 2022, which documented a host of problems including:
- Sept. 2023 – Carpet stains, mold on walls and nightstand, threadbare sheets, cracked sink
- March 2023 – Plumbing issues, soiled mattress, dirty fridge and microwave, damaged electrical outlet. Dead roaches by fridge, in closet and in dresser drawers. Evidence of vermin and live roaches.
- Jan. 2023 – Wet carpet on third floor, water flow on sixth floor, emergency exit locked on second and third floors
- July 2022 – Dirty sink clogged with hair in room 620, soiled carpet throughout sixth floor, dust and debris, no lighting in walkway to room 643
- March 2022 – Live flies by trash can on third floor
- Feb. 2022 – Build up of trash on fourth floor and trash/dust/debris behind the furniture on fourth floor
Lakeland Police responded to 115 calls at the hotel from January 2024 to the present. The calls resulted in four arrests — two for warrants, one for a disturbance and one for a suspicious vehicle.
‘No good options’: Mariah Brooks, 30, said she has had concerns about crime and poor conditions in the hotel since she and her five children, ages 9 months to 12, arrived after Hurricane Milton in October. But as a FEMA evacuee, she said she has been powerless to do anything about it, “or they’re kicking you out and throwing all your stuff with it.”
“We’ve been locked out of our rooms for days, having to try to break into our rooms because they have no keys and no staff. They went weeks with no staff here, where they wouldn’t give us bedding, like pillows, towels, toilet paper,” Brooks said.
Ann Stidham, a mother of two teens, said she had been at the Imperial Swan since Oct. 16 and called it “the worst place ever.” But like many others, she said she has “no good options.”
Yasceli Lamar, 39, had only been staying at the Imperial Swan for two weeks, but she said in that time there were fire alarms almost every other day, so she didn’t know whether to take the one Friday morning seriously.
“People pull the fire alarm at any time of day, so this morning I’m like, ‘Is it real?’ But when I heard the sirens, I thought, ‘Let me get downstairs,’” Lamar said. Hours later, she was desperate to return to her room for her keys and scrubs so she could report to her job at a doctor’s office.
FEMA response: “According to FEMA, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the survivors to secure accommodations that meet their needs,” Lewis said. However, she provided information about how to do that.
FEMA ‘Transitional Sheltering Assistance’
- Hotel residents who were receiving FEMA assistance can find a list of other participating hotels at femaemergencyhotels.com.
- Disaster survivors can also contact a Transitional Sheltering Assistance agent at 800-621-3362 for help locating a new hotel.
Hotel ownership: The Imperial Swan was built in 1987 and updated in 2004. Property appraiser records show that KFSL Investments Inc. bought it for $6.3 million in Feb. 2005 and then transferred it to Winderting Investments in Feb. 2012.
The hotel is operated by Lakeview Management of Lakeland, LLC. The general manager is listed as Helen James.
Cindy Glover is a reporter for LkldNow, a nonprofit newsroom providing independent local news for Lakeland. Read at LkldNow.com.
