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Palm Bay moves to demolish and clean up abandoned construction sites
Palm Bay is taking aim at unfinished and abandoned construction projects, moving to demolish vacant shells of homes and apartments that city officials say are dragging down neighborhoods.
ORLANDO, Fla. - At the Aug. 7 Palm Bay City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved a new way to start tackling abandoned construction sites across the city.
What we know:
The council will take $500,000 from the building department fund to hire a third-party contractor to demo and clean up what was built and left behind.
They're specifically dealing with properties that have had expired permits for more than 180 days. The city’s legal department will then move forward putting a lien on the property owner to recoup the funds.
Neighbors say the vacant properties can attract vagrants and crime. They also worry about debris during storms, so they think this is a good way to deal with the issue.
What they're saying:
Homeowners are thankful to see something being done about the issue.
"Who wants a brick flying through their house? Hurricane season is coming, storms, a lot can happen," said Palm Bay homeowner Olajuwon Postell who lives near an unfinished home.
The initiative was led by council member Mike Hammer, who says it’s one of the biggest issues he’s heard about since being elected.
"Other than being an eyesore, a construction site is nowhere where good things are going to happen when the sun is down," said City Council member Mike Hammer.
The reason properties stall has to do with fluctuating housing markets across the state, according to experts in the field.
"Most developers don’t carry a deep enough reserve to handle the drought in the real estate marketplace, and because of that those projects get abandoned," said Scott Widerman, who’s a real estate attorney with Widerman Malek law firm.
What's next:
The council approved the funding at the August meeting. Funds and work could start as soon as October.
Properties in violation
Dig deeper:
Listed below are the properties in city limits currently in violation and could be subject to construction removal moving forward.
- 1261 Platt Ave. SW
- 1760 Ashcroft St. NW
- 1114 Serenade St. NW
- 2182 Wagonwheel Ave. SE
- 398 Silver Frost St. SE
- 1372 Harvard St. SW
- 1354 Valerius St. SE
- 161 Krassner Dr. NW
- 243 Dobbins Rd. NW
- 6001 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5901 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5801 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5601 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5401 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5201 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5565 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 5575 Pinewood Dr. NE
- 2196 Oklahoma Ave. SW
- 1681 Santonian St. SE
- 1294 Valencia St. SE
- 406 Haskell Ave. SE
- 2826 Hester Ave. SE
- 540 Hurley Blvd. SW
- 550 Hurley Blvd. SW
- 3275 Hainsworth Ave. SE
- 459 Krassner Dr. NW
- 601 Pilgrim Lane SE
- 1443 Damon Rd. SE
- 1084 Tolson St. SE
The Source: FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower visited multiple locations listed on the city’s violation list and spoke with people who live nearby. She also spoke with a city council member via zoom and a real estate legal expert. She asked via email for a list of properties in violation and was sent the information via a city spokesperson.