Melbourne tears down long-vacant 'horror house' as city begins crack down on nuisance property
Melbourne demolishes long-vacant nuisance property
City officials in Melbourne have demolished a long-vacant home that neighbors and code enforcement officers said had been a source of complaints and safety concerns for years.
MELBOURNE, Fla. - A months-long FOX 35 investigation has sparked citywide change in Melbourne, leading officials to take aggressive action against local "horror houses" that have plagued neighborhoods for years.
On Tuesday, the city completely demolished a long-abandoned home on Osage Avenue—a major step in Melbourne's new push to clean up the town when neglectful property owners refuse to do so themselves.
Clean-up underway
The backstory:
For months, FOX 35 has been digging into chronic nuisance properties across Central Florida, visiting Brevard County neighborhoods filled with junk, debris, and structural hazards.
While Melbourne officials say their current code enforcement process successfully resolves about 95% of cases, a remaining handful of "chronic offenders" have proven entirely immune to standard warnings and standard fines.
Over years of neglect, these properties rack up massive tabs. The Osage Avenue home demolished Tuesday had accumulated more than $50,000 in unpaid code enforcement fines and liens.
Neighbors react
What they're saying:
Issues at the property began piling up in 2014 and never stopped. However, neighbors say the trouble dates back even further.
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"Even in the '90s, this home was always empty," said Jason Mohammed, a neighbor who lives near the house.
The push for city-wide reform gained massive momentum following FOX 35’s initial investigative reports. Melbourne City Manager Jenni Lamb noted that the media spotlight has already started forcing compliance, even before formal code changes take effect.
"We have to give props to you because I didn't realize one of the sites started cleaning up after you ran the last story," Lamb said.
The sounds of heavy machinery off Sarno Road signaled a massive victory for local residents on Tuesday morning. After securing the necessary legal permissions, Melbourne officially brought in the bulldozers.
It cost the city approximately $14,000 to completely flatten the blighted structure. Officials say they are already working on plans to recoup those tax dollars when the vacant lot is eventually sold to a new owner.
Melbourne City Council Member David Neuman (District 3) has been spearheading the clean-up efforts across town. The entire city council voted with him back in May to greenlight the aggressive push against problem properties.
"It shows that government can move forward on stuff," Neuman said. "I was not going to let this go because I want to make sure everyone feels safe, comfortable and has a beautiful neighborhood. I wanted to fight for this tooth and nail."
Neuman hopes the blank slate will lead to a fresh start for the Osage Avenue land. "Build a beautiful new home there where all the neighbors are like, 'Wow, that’s the nicest house on the block.' That would be great."
For the people living on Osage Avenue, the demolition brought a profound sense of relief. Neighbors watched the house of horrors come down, celebrating the end of a safety hazard that dragged down the entire street.
"Everybody that lives around here is happy to see [it go] because it’s a nightmare," said Chuck, a nearby resident.
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Before Tuesday, the abandoned home acted as a magnet for crime, pests and dangerous activity.
"There's always rats and there’s homeless people trying to camp out and live on the property," Jason Mohammed said.
Beyond the immediate safety concerns, the property heavily penalized local homeowners who took pride in their community and tried to maintain their own property values.
"If you want to sell your house, and you’ve got this mess here, it affects you a lot," Chuck added.
What's next:
The demolition on Osage Avenue is just the beginning of a broader, systemic crackdown.
Code enforcement officials say they already have at least one more home in the city they are actively hoping to clean up or clear out before the end of the year.
If you have a home in your neighborhood causing issues or isn’t being maintained, call code enforcement officials.
The Source: FOX 35 Reporter Esther Bower has visited several homes with code enforcement issues in Brevard County. She visited the home being torn down on 6/16 and spoke with neighbors. She spoke via email with city officials on the process.