My complaint:
Ben Thomas at the ucf location decided to throw us out into the streets, because he suspected that my son had pulled the fire alarm. However, the footage presented to me was quite blurry. Nevertheless, i apologized, because my son is heavily autistic and nonverbal. Thomas first said so you admit he did it, and I said no that I was apologizing in case it had been my son’s fault. However, Thomas felt that no apology would suffice. He made disparaging remarks about my child, earlier during our stay, yet I had let it go.
However, after how cold that he behaved with me. I asked him why he let so many crimes occur at the hotel. I asked him why he would allow prostitutes and drug dealers to continue to stay, yet punish an autistic child, who most likely had touched the fire alarm out of curiosity, if he had at all.
Thomas just stared at me with a little smirk.
The rumor is that he takes cash from the alternative businesses run on the property.
The most uncomfortable situation I encountered there was the discovery that a man who had caused a man hunt, including helicopters and police in riot gear, in and around the hotel, was somehow allowed to go back to the property. However, my son was kicked out because he caused a disturbance to the hotel.
Then, there are the day to day issues, like men there trying to offer women money for sex. There are escorts working out of the hotel. Some of these ladies are polite but most are drunk, on crack, and stand outside begging people for cash.
I’m sorry. But i was appalled that my son was thrown out, when both title 3 of the ADA and title 8 of the fair housing act allow for accommodations for his needs. Thomas did not allow us a handicapped accessible room, when we arrived. As a result, I asked another attendant, Shelly, and she told me that they would move us asap. Well, that certainly never happened. Even after we had a horrible leak in our room, and black mold was discovered, they still did not move us. I have pictures of the mushrooms, yes, mushrooms that had started growing inside our room.
I reported the info to multiple staff members and no additional action was taken on their part. So I sent the pictures directly to Thomas’s mobile phone. He never apologized or attempted to do anything. So I sent new ones the day that we were leaving. I will be contacting the health department about the conditions at this place.
Furthermore, according F.S. §509.013(4)(a), a hotel cannot immediately remove a guest from its premises for reasons such as nonpayment or being a nuisance, after that guest has stayed for over 30 days and has received mail there.
Thomas broke 3 laws in evicting us: the ADA, the fair housing act, and F.S. §509.013(4)(a). Yet he allows nothing but filth to live there. He punished my autistic son, because it was personal. Because according to Thomas: disabled children should never be born. My son was a nuisance only because Thomas feels a certain way about people with special needs, and his behavior would be classified as discrimination, by any reasonable person. We had only 1 other complaint while we were there. We were not the ones having our hotel room raided like so many others. This whole situation was pure discrimination. Period.
I have witnesses to Thomas’s behavior. I have witnesses who will speak about how much illegal activity is conducted on the grounds. I am so tired of people like Ben Thomas, who have zero compassion.
He is a horrible manager and human being.
Even housekeeping and residents talk about his racism and sexism. Thomas must be reviewed and removed ASAP. I guarantee that he will cause other law suits to occur if he is not terminated.
Suggested solution:
I want Ben Thomas removed immediately or I will sue.
