Tough economy has more properties being condemned

Capt. Donald Simmons climbed into his red pick-up truck and headed to the scene of a code enforcement officer's worst nightmare.

A dilapidated house with broken windows and trash scattered on the front lawn could be seen a block away. Inside was a moldy kitchen with pots stacked so high they touched the broken cabinets above them.

The house was filled with damp and dirty cloths and old towels and sheets that covered practically every inch of the water damaged wooden floors.

Within the chaos were bits and pieces of the family who once lived there. Placed on a chair by the kitchen were Christmas lights neatly rolled. Down the hall a kids bedroom with bunk beds looked like it was shook into a disaster. And in another room an American flag was being used as a curtain to partially cover a boarded up window.

Simmons, Avon Park's code enforcement officer, responded to a complaint that people were coming into the house at all hours of the night and removing things. Neighbors who did not want to be identified said that the house was not in that decrepit of a condition a week ago.

It was just after 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, the day after Veteran's Day, when Simmons phoned the Avon Park Police Department.

"Can I have an officer meet me at 914 W. Pleasant Street," he said.

Sitting at his desk with the property's file in his hand, there was a brief pause.

"Suspicious activity and code enforcement issues. I'm leaving right now."

He hung up the phone.

Within minutes he pulled up to the home where code enforcement officer Marnita English was photographing the property and Avon Park Police Officer Earl Tilman was at the scene.

The home was owned by Edna J. Hensley who died. Based on a quick claim deed the property was signed over to her by her sister, Patricia A. Williams, on Sept. 28, 2006.

The property was cited for nuisance, abandoned vehicle and not meeting the minimum maintenance requirements.

Within the hour code enforcement made arrangements for the home to be secured.

"I've seen worse," Simmons said.

"This is bad but I've seen worse."

Avon Park code enforcement

Owners who don't maintain their homes are keeping code enforcement officers busy.

Simmons said the economy, death or illness and absentee landlords are to blame for the ongoing problem.

"I think when the economy turns around there's going to be a lot of improvement," Simmons said.

Avon Park had 510 nuisance cases from Jan. 1 to Nov. 12, 55 of those are still active. Not all are abandoned homes but a combination of lack of affordability and neglect contribute to the problem.

Part of Simmons' routine is checking up on these properties.

One afternoon in October he drove to 120 E. Cornell in Avon Park. It's on the city's list of approved homes for demolition. But they will first foreclose on the property.

The old two-story wooden home is two doors down from a day care. Simmons drove his truck toward the back of the house and pointed to a boarded up window and back door that appeared to have been pried open on one end.

"It's hard to keep them secure because people break in ... it's a comfortable place for them to sit down and use drugs, away from the police," Simmons said.

The owner is Fogle Malachi Jr., whose mailing address is in Brooksville. Since 2002 he has been cited six times for nuisance and not meeting CRA requirements.

Malachi came into compliance for his last nuisance violation in May 2008.

Within miles of this home there are at least seven others that have been cited for the same violations.

The home on 405 W. State Street was cited 11 times, nine for nuisance and one for minimum maintenance, since 2002. It's still an active case that has gone before code enforcement's special magistrate two times.

The home at 200 Ben Hicks Street was cited 11 times, five for nuisance three for not meeting CRA requirements, since 2002. Currently the property is in compliance.

The home at 1307 S. Delaney Avenue was cited five times since 2005, three for nuisance and twice for CRA requirements. The property is currently under compliance.

These homes are just a few of those that code enforcement officers are keeping an eye on.

Code enforcement and police presence has deterred vagrants and squatters but it's a constant effort, said Simmons.

Sebring code enforcement

By 9 a.m. on Friday, Sebring Code Enforcement Officer Bobby Hicks was ready to mail out a notice of violation to the owners of 4807 Sixth Street, an abandoned home in Highlands Homes.

He stopped by the neglected home later that day. Most of the wiring was removed and so were the numbers on the home. Through an open window he could see the ceiling was falling apart and dog feces and trash covered the carpet, which had layers of crud and pet fur.

A cup left on a closet shelf read "This is not the life I ordered." He chuckled.

As Hicks left the unsightly home, neighbor Melvin Jones offered to cut the grass for $25.

"I'll maintain it for a month for $40," he said. He dropped the price to $35 then $30.

Hicks frequently cruises his turf. And he knows it well; history of violations, the neighbors who complain and even those who buy these abandoned homes and fix them up like Ralph Demers.

He bought several houses in the neighborhood that were falling apart. One was a duplex that was being foreclosed on.

Paint and new carpeting were minor fixes to the dilapidated house. The duplex was in shambles he said. It needed thousands of dollars in repair.

Demers' offered the bank $25,000 but they turned it down. They couldn't find a buyer so when Demers called up again and said, "All I got is $5,000," they took it.

He brought the home up to code and now rents each unit for about $450 a month.

"A lot of people hold on to these properties and they just continue to decay," he said.

For the last four years Demers has made renovating neglected homes a family business.

He looks to Hicks for the latest word on houses in need of some tender loving care.

Pointing to Hicks, he said, "He's been after everybody to fix up their homes. He's really improving the neighborhood."

Hicks cruises through his turf at 10 miles per hour. He heads into Washington Heights and stops in front of a "regular customer."

Preston King owns four properties in Washington Heights. He has been cited about 42 times since 2001 for everything from overgrown grass, peeling paint, debris and not meeting minimum maintenance.

The city foreclosed on two of his properties, which are now Habitat for Humanity homes, down the street.

King, wearing a plaid shirt and burgundy beanie, walked up to Hicks' truck, curious to know what he's done now.

With his red-rim glasses at the tip of his nose, he looked at him and laughed.

"I'm working on it, I'm almost done," he said.

One of King's properties has a parked trailer that he has been taking apart for scrap metal for weeks. He told Hicks he plans on making $100 on it.

King is being fined $25 a day for each of his properties that have code violations, including this one, said Hicks.

Despite the history of code violations, citations and city forced foreclosures, King talks with Hicks like old friends.

"I'm coming up, I'm on my way up," he said.

Sebring code enforcement cases

Sebring's code enforcement officers have filed 1,223 cases from Jan. 1 to Nov. 13. Hicks said on average he writes up five homes a day.

Last year, from Oct. 1 2008 to Sept. 30, 2009, code enforcement had a total of 1,364 cases for a variety of violations. They collected $102,397.06 in liens and had a 99 percent compliance rate.

Despite the nature of their job, writing citations and fining home owners, Hicks has a good relationship with residents.

Preston King is one example and many others waved at Hicks as he drove through their neighborhoods.

"We understand that times are tough. If I can tell them what to do to fix their property, it's a lot better than mailing them a letter," Hicks said.