Seminole County Orders 72 Apartment Units Vacated at Lake Mary Complex

A routine stairwell repair job at Pebble Creek at Lake Mary turned into a countywide safety crisis when materials inside a wall caught fire on Feb. 27, setting off a chain of events that culminated in Seminole County ordering 72 apartment units vacated at the 780 Creekwater Terrace complex.

The incident caused smoke to impact multiple units and required Seminole County Fire Department crews to open parts of the building to ensure the fire had not spread. A follow-up review raised broader safety concerns about the property. That assessment identified structural and life safety deficiencies that ultimately drove the county's evacuation order.

The Pebble Creek at Lake Mary apartment complex is located at 780 Creekwater Terrace in unincorporated Seminole County. The property consists of 472 total units distributed across 28 separate buildings, making the scope of the order, 72 units declared uninhabitable, a significant disruption for one of Lake Mary's larger residential communities.

Deficiencies were identified related to egress and overall life safety, including stairwell conditions and other structural elements. The Seminole County Building and Code Enforcement divisions conducted the assessment that produced the vacate order. The Seminole County Fire Department reported on March 24 that the 72 units are not safe to live in.

Not all of the condemned units were occupied when the order came down. Of the 72 identified units, 48 were unoccupied at the time of the order, meaning roughly 24 occupied units were affected. Many residents affected by the order have been able to relocate to other available units within the apartment complex, sparing some displaced tenants from having to find housing outside the property entirely.

The American Red Cross and Emergency Management officials are on site to assist residents with immediate needs and coordinate support services. No injuries from the February fire have been reported in the county's public communications about the incident.

The county has not publicly disclosed which specific buildings contain the 72 affected units, nor has it announced a timeline for when repairs must be completed and the vacate order lifted.