- Associated Press - Monday, May 26, 2014

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) - Standing on the wood deck of their mobile home, Sam and Marcia Arsenault can toss a fishing line into the turquoise water of the Jupiter Inlet and watch sailboats drift past the Jupiter Lighthouse.

“When we first walked back here, my mouth fell open. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it is. We looked at each other and said, ’This is the place we want to live,’ ” said Marcia, 73, a former resident of Danvers, Mass.

But the days of waterfront living are numbered for Arsenault and the other 200 residents of Suni Sands Mobile Home Park off State Road A1A, located on 10 of the most prime waterfront acres in northern Palm Beach County.

Charles Modica bought the property last summer for $17 million. The Jupiter Island resident, who has not filed any proposals with the town, envisions a historic inn with restaurants and shops. He wants to refurbish the 100-year-old boathouse. There could be docks and a stop for a water taxi. And maybe a swimming pool that would be open to the public, he said.

“I’m doing my best to work with the Suni Sands residents. I want to let them stay as long as possible,” Modica said.

Town regulations on the 10-acre property allow up to six residences per acre. Buildings could be up to three stories high. Modica could apply for higher density and building heights. Town council approval is required.

“I want to keep with the funky fishing village theme,” said Modica, referring to the town’s plan to build shops, restaurants and residences along A1A between U.S. 1 and Jupiter Beach Road.

That funky village theme is evident as soon as a visitor enters the narrow road into the park. Colorful handmade salamanders and pelicans decorate the outside walls of the mobile homes. Unlocked bicycles clutter driveways. Residents walk past with fishing poles on their shoulders.

“Everybody knows everybody. We look out for each other,” Sam Arsenault said.

Residents at Suni Sands, who must be at least 55 years old, own their own trailers. They each pay about $600 a month to rent their lots, which includes water, sewer, lawn maintenance, trash collection and cable. Residents pay their own electric bills.

Many, like 85-year-old Doris Smith, say can’t afford to leave. She and others say they are unwilling to make any improvements to their mobile homes because they are uncertain about when they must move out.

Smith moved to Suni Sands 30 years ago with her husband George from Point Pleasant, N.J. George - known as Capt. George to his neighbors - died a decade ago. Doris, a friendly woman with a firm handshake, works three days a week doing food demonstrations at a local grocery store.

“I’ve got applications in at subsidized housing. There is a five-year wait. I don’t want to go back up north. I want to stay here year-round. This is my home,” Smith said.

But Bill Leo, a retired paving contractor whose parents bought a mobile home in the park in the late 1970s, said residents must be realistic.

“It’s not like Briny Breezes. We don’t own the land. This is prime waterfront property. If I can spend another year or two here, I will be happy,” said Leo, 67, a full-time resident for 10 years.

Modica, who last week visited the park and knocked on resident’s doors to talk about his plans, said he wants to work with residents. He wrote a letter dated March 21, 2014, to all residents, inviting them to sign a year’s lease. Residents now pay on a month-to-month basis. About 30 residents signed, said Steven Burns, Suni Sands’ operating manager.

Florida law requires mobile-home park residents get at least six months notice before they are required to leave. Many residents did not sign the lease because they did not believe they would be guaranteed a full year to stay, said Marcia Arsenault.

“I don’t believe that a lease can guarantee us any more time than state law allows,” she said.

While there is no definite timeline to build, Modica expects development to start in the next several years.

“When developers stand here and look at Suni Sands, they see Old Port Cove,” said resident Tom Ryan, referring to the condominium-marina development in North Palm Beach on U.S. 1. “When Suni Sands residents look out our windows, we see old Florida. We want to keep it that way.”

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Information from: The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, https://www.pbpost.com

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