HUD Names Carolina Trouble Shooter at Sanford Project

SANFORD, FL-Federal housing officials have named Larry Knightner, a turnaround specialist for 25 years with HUD, to improve 1,000 repair-needed apartments at Sanford Housing Authority’s 12 complexes, about 25 miles north of Downtown Orlando.

HUD seized control of the low-income shelter community Aug. 2 after HUD Secretary Mel Martinez charged Authority officials had shown little progress in the past three years after receiving a total $10 million in federal funds. HUD formally labeled the Sanford Housing Authority a ‘troubled agency’ on April 6, 2001.

Knightner comes to Sanford from South Carolina where he coordinated the state’s Housing Program Center. He will act as a receiver, directing the project’s entire operation, from rent collecting to bill paying to hiring personnel, says HUD Deputy Secretary Michael Liu.