St. Petersburg whittles an ugly sight by half in the past decade.
By JON WILSON
Published June 1, 2003
ST. PETERSBURG - During the past 10 years, the number of empty, boarded-up houses in the city has shrunk from 803 to 358 - more than a 50 percent reduction.
Overall, the number represents less than one-half of 1 percent in a city with more than 100,000 structures.
In general, that's a good thing, officials say.
A neighborhood's most blighting influence is a boarded property, said deputy mayor Mike Dove, who as a neighborhood guru in the 1990s helped start programs to revive sagging areas of town.
Part of the effort included stricter code enforcement, a more aggressive demolition process and, in some cases, paving the way for rehabilitation by businesses or individuals.
"If you live down the street from (a boarded house), it's a problem. . . . there's the ripple effect in the neighborhood," Dove said.
Ironically, an unboarded but vacant house was the site of a brutal May 11 crime. An 8-year-old girl was abducted and raped at 1806 14th Ave. S.
"That opportunity really shouldn't have been there," said Sally Eichler, codes compliance director. "We had a case on the property and secured it in February. A new owner came along and started to clean up the property to prepare for rehabilitation and took off the boards."
As far as officials knew, the house had remained boarded, Eichler said. The boards had been taken off and the crime committed in about a week's time, she said.
A condemnation case is pending on the house, which could be demolished.
Eichler said the episode suggests the value of the city's boarding and demolition programs.
"How many incidents have we successfully prevented? With the hassle and arguments and property owners protesting, it makes me feel like we've actually served some purpose. If the programs went away, we might have had more of these things happening," Eichler said.
A building starts on the road to being boarded when it is reported to the city government. Neighbors might do it, or perhaps a police officer or a codes inspector.
Usually the house has deteriorated. Maybe it is violating city codes. Maybe unauthorized people are getting inside.
Once a building is identified, efforts are made to contact the owner. Intent to board is advertised and public notices are filed.
Owners don't have to put boards up, Eichler said. They can repair structural problems or supervise their property more closely.
The boarding program is pursued "only when it's considered a public nuisance because of deterioration or unauthorized entry," Eichler said.
"It seems as if once boards go on a structure, the police calls for service stop, as long as the structure remains secured. It has a tendency not to encourage the contagion," Eichler said.
The city hires a contractor to board up buildings. The cost depends on the building's size and the number of doors and windows. Most of the jobs cost much more than $100, Eichler said.
The city puts out a list of boarded and vacant properties once a month. Not all buildings on the list have been city-boarded; sometimes owners have done it themselves.
Among neighborhoods Dove said the city is "monitoring hardest" are 13th Street Heights, Melrose-Mercy, Palmetto Park and Childs Park.
Bartlett Park has had its share of boarded, empty buildings, but its situation is better, said Charles Payne, who recently stepped down as neighborhood president.
Some Bartlett Park houses that were demolished might have been better saved, Payne believes.
"Some of the old homes destroyed were nicer structures compared to some of the 10- and 12-unit bungalows that should have been demolished," Payne said.
Police try to keep an eye on empty buildings, said assistant chief Dave DeKay.
Officers don't have a list of such properties but sometimes use the list the city furnishes. "We leave it up to the community police officer to evaluate what needs to be done," DeKay said.
Few owners are listed as having multiple boarded and vacant properties. Some of the owners are restoring the buildings. Estates, trusts and financial institutions are listed as owning others.
In fact, the city of St. Petersburg owns the most boarded structures - seven, including the old Mercy Hospital building at 1344 22nd St. S. It is being restored as part of the development of the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center being built on the site.
Sometimes the city acquires property available because of unpaid taxes. Such properties can be rehabilitated and resold.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is listed as owning four properties. HUD sometimes picks up ownership when buyers default on mortgages.
