FSU students at Perla apartments face third move as construction delays push back movein date
Aug 27, 2026
Hundreds of FSU students at Perla apartments face a second move-in cancellation in a week, with no new date set and multiple hotel relocations ahead.WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW: FSU students at Perla apartments face third move as co
nstruction delays push back move-in date.Hundreds of Florida State University students are being told they cannot move into their new apartments for the second time in a week.Perla, a College Town apartment complex, confirmed late Thursday afternoon that Friday's expected move-in date is off. Students who have already spent their first week of classes in hotels are now being told they will have to pack up and move again."Constantly for the past month and a half they have been getting our hopes up saying we're going to be able to move into this apartment and then every time they fail us," a Perla resident and FSU student said.Perla broke the news to residents around 5 p.m. Thursday. In an email, management blamed continued construction delays, inspections, and final approval of the building.August 28 was already the second expected move-in date after students were unable to move in last week. Now there is no third date set. Perla says its goal is to move all residents in sometime next week."You know, I think they're comping us well; they're putting us in hotel rooms a nice hotel, but obviously it's frustrating. Cause I just want somewhere to put all my stuff and finally, like, you know, call home," Devon Herrema, an FSU freshman, said."Definitely haven't gotten, like, the, you know, college experience you know so far; you know it's been a little strange. You know, commuting out of a hotel room, but you know we're just making the best of it," Christian Monchecourt, another FSU freshman, said.Before these students ever get through Perla's doors, many will have to move twice. Current hotel reservations end at 11 a.m. Friday."They sent an email out at 9 o'clock last night and then now at 4:55 today. They won't answer the phones, and they're trying to kick us out of Hotel Indigo, and we still have no idea when it's gonna be; they're saying next week, but that could be three weeks," a Perla resident and FSU student said.With FSU's first home football game this weekend, Perla says limited hotel availability means students will first be moved to hotels farther from campus. Then on Sunday, they will have to pack up again and move to another hotel closer to campus. Perla says it cannot provide physical moving assistance."So I'm still here; my daughter cannot move her bags. She's got too many, apartment stuff, clothing all in a hotel room, so they want them to move for two days to another hotel further away, not comparable to Perla not comparable so that's not OK with me," Susan Kaelin, a parent, said.Perla is increasing its daily Uber credit from $20 to $30. Management says the $50 daily food credit and rent credits will continue, and it will cover up to $100 for storage.Hours before Thursday's announcement, parents were already pushing Cardinal Group Management for more. They sent a letter asking for a corrective action plan including a clear account of what still needs to be approved and a more concrete plan for displaced students."We're all sort of just stuck waiting it out and hoping that the information we have been given on what's pending is the full truth and that there's nothing else and that we're only days away and not weeks away," Celia Zagula, a parent, said.Perla says its team is continuing to work through the remaining items needed to get the building ready.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website. Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.Like us on FacebookFollow us on Instagram and X.
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