I'm 91 & was ordered to leave my home of 13 years in 7 days over a little-known rule - but we're staying

AN elderly couple has narrowly avoided eviction after one of them was accused of threatening someone with a knife.

Donald and Darlene Timmons, 91 and 89, have lived at their home in a 55-plus community in Florida for 13 years.

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But last month, they received an eviction order from the management at Forest Lake Estates in Zephyrhills, about 30 miles northeast of Tampa.

The couple was given seven days to leave after Donald was accused of threatening a landscaper with a knife, an allegation he has vociferously denied.

"It's just a really malicious lie," Donald told The U.S. Sun.

He admits that he did have a confrontation with the employee from a third-party landscaping company after the gardener began working on the couple's lawn.

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They've opted out of the community's communal landscaping program.

"He is very meticulous about how he does (the lawn)," Darlene told The U.S. Sun of her husband.

But Donald said he never threatened anyone.

"We were devastated because we're the type of people that mind their own business," he said.

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"To have somebody make an accusation, it was just shocking."

The couple, who own their home but rent the land it sits on, decided to reach out to WFLA, which ran a story about the situation.

That's how attorney Gary De Pury ended up taking on the case free of charge.

"My mom called me at 2am in the morning and said, 'Did you see this?'" the lawyer told The U.S. Sun.

"I still do what my mom says at 54-years-old."

Forest Lake Estates did not respond to The U.S. Sun's request for comment for this story.

In a statement for a previous story, management said the eviction order stemmed from the landscaper's allegations.

De Pury was able to explain the situation from the property owner's perspective

Although a police report was never filed, the property managers decided to act before completing an investigation given the severity of the allegation.

"Their policy is that if something comes in like this, with this level of alleged threat, then they have to take some sort of immediate action," De Pury said.

"From the property manager's position, they acted out of an abundance of caution," the lawyer said.

"Unfortunately, that abundance of caution was also a very threatening letter... I felt it was overzealous."

After De Pury had a meeting with the property managers, he said they ultimately came to the same conclusion and decided to not take any further action against the Timmons'.

"We were informed by (Forest Lake Estate's) attorney that everything would be as it was before, with no, no repercussions," Donald said.

"So as far as we're concerned, it's all forgotten about."

De Pury said he and the couple were considering filing a lawsuit against the landscaping company, but ultimately decided not to.

The attention the case received led to lots of support for the couple from their neighbors.

"We had so many people on our side," Darlene said.

"When (WFLA) came back to do a follow up interview... our street was lined with the golf carts of people that are in support of us.

"What happened to us could happen to any one of them."

Darlene has been a staple in the Forest Lake Estates community since she moved from her native Upstate New York 32 years ago.

The community is also where she met Donald, an Indiana transplant who moved in two houses over 17 years ago.

"I had met his wife because I was on the welcoming committee," Darlene said.

"We both lost our spouses the same year."

The couple eventually got together, had a wedding, and decided to move into the house where they currently live.

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At this point, the thought of leaving is unfathomable for them.

"It's not even worth considering," Darlene said.