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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Michael Sainato in Tampa, Florida, with photographs by Tina Russell

‘It’s hell’: life under the American mobile home king who calls himself a ‘grave dancer’

Nicholas Hallock drives the golf cart as his mother, Diana Giffin, leaves flyers for bingo at Down Yonder Mobile Home Park
Nicholas Hallock drives the golf cart as his mother, Diana Giffin, leaves flyers for bingo at Down Yonder mobile home park in Largo, Florida. Photograph: Tina Russell/The Guardian

Down Yonder mobile home park bills itself as “downright relaxing”. Located a few miles from the beaches of the Tampa Bay area, the 362-unit community touts numerous amenities for its residents such as a clubhouse, pool, hot tub, shuffleboard courts and warm weather.

These are what drew Colleen Gartner, 51, who moved to the park from Pennsylvania in November 2020 after being forced into retirement due to a disability. Like many Americans living in the north, she dreamed of getting away from cold winters and a retirement someplace warm.

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