A judge gives the homeowner, who has racked up 321 codes violations, a month to rectify the situation.
By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published October 31, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - John Hammon has 30 days to clean up his property, including numerous vehicles in front of and behind his house, and lots and lots of clutter. Otherwise the city will do the work itself and charge Hammon.
Judge David Seth Walker on Friday issued the ultimatum after hearing from two neighbors, a codes inspector and a fire inspector. City attorney John Hamilton had sued Hammon, asking for a court order to abate a public nuisance. Hammon did not appear to defend himself.
As of Friday, Hammon had accumulated 321 codes complaints, codes investigator Linda Phillips said. Hammon bought the house at 244 49th St. N in February 1998. It took three months to draw the first codes complaint.
A fire marshal's order prevents him from living at the address, but he may go there to work on the property.
Deputy Fire Marshal Richard Feinberg, who in July directed Progress Energy to shut off Hammon's electricity, found overloaded circuits, unsafe wiring (including the wires from an overhead kitchen light spliced into an extension cord), and containers of gasoline and acetone inside the house. Feinberg testified that he could not complete inspections because too much debris stood in his way.
Bradley Dutenhaver, who built his house just west of the site, compared Hammon's algae-covered swimming pool to the Ganges River, and said a burgeoning wildlife population has affected his own property.
"I've found a dead rat in my pool. I've found snakes in my pool. Frogs. Recently I found a turtle in my pool."
Hammon keeps lots of cars on his property - as many as 18 at a time. Cars that are inoperable or without tags rack up their share of codes violations. Some of the cars and trucks are crammed full of toys, bicycles and furniture. In the past month, Phillips said, Hammon has moved a few of his vehicles to another of his properties, 741 Ithaca St.
Citations and liens have mounted against Hammon, but so far he has remained free to solve problems his own way - or not. WMC Mortgage, a California company, owns the title to the house, attorney Hamilton said.
The company reached a foreclosure judgment against Hammon in February 2003. The property was set for sale Sept. 17, but Hammon canceled out of that meeting, delaying any sale.
Phillips testified to a string of incidents on Sept. 1, when Hammon and the city were scheduled at 9 a.m. for court-ordered mediation. By 7 a.m., Hammon had left a message on Phillips' answering machine, backing out due to a family emergency.
Later that morning, Phillips said she spotted Hammon's dark limousine in traffic and followed it. Hammon's wife, Anna, was driving, she said. As Phillips continued to trail the limousine, Hammon donned a wig. The car pulled up to his Ithaca Street address, where Phillips got out of her vehicle and confronted Hammon in the right of way about the missed appointment.
"He took the wig off and threw it down in the car. He came out of that vehicle and walked in a really rapid pace about this far from my face," Phillips said, holding her palms a few inches apart. "And then he backed off."
Phillips took photographs to record the incident, which Hamilton entered into the court record.
In asking for court-mandated relief, Hamilton listed at least seven categories of problems and recommended a 30-day deadline to have them corrected. "He has had years to correct the problem, and he has done nothing," Hamilton said.
Before passing judgment, Walker noted that he had visited Hammon's 49th Street property and walked the perimeter. Then he granted the city's request in full. Hammon must remove inoperative vehicles from his property as well as all junk and debris. He must bring his wiring and other electrical violations up to code. He must clean his pool.
If Hammon has not fixed all code violations within 30 days from the date of the order, Walker declared, the city will then be authorized to right all wrongs on its own - at Hammon's expense. Failure to pay that bill will result in a lien on the property.
John Hammon could not be reached for comment. He has the right to appeal Friday's ruling. Walker said he anticipated Hammon would appeal, and recommended language for the court order he hoped would speed up any appeal and subsequent decision.
"I would suggest that perhaps the order to be drawn by the city reflect this court's concern with regard to the conditions on the property, and the danger that they constitute," the judge said.
