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After battling with owner to clean up property since 1998, officials are attempting to destroy the vermin infested home.
By ANNE LINDBERG
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 13, 2001
PINELLAS PARK -- City officials say a 52nd Way N house is overrun with rats and other vermin and are asking for Council permission to sue the homeowner so they can tear down the dwelling.
"It is totally infested with termites, roaches, carpenter ants (and) rats," Assistant City Manager Mike Gustafson said. "It is really affecting the neighbors."
Pinellas Park Council members are scheduled Thursday to consider authorizing the lawsuit against Roy L. Zeches.
The idea of tearing down a house that has been condemned has support from at least one Council member.
"I'm certainly not against this," Chuck Williams said.
Zeches said officials are overstating the case and, while his home at 8096 52nd Way N does have problems, he can't afford the repairs that the city wants. Zeches said he's been living in his car since the house was condemned.
"The house itself is perfectly sound," Zeches said. "They're making this place sound like a death trap. It's not. I've lived in the house for 38 years."
He added, "It's all a little cosmetic. . . .It's just a little cluttered now."
He conceded that the roof over the carport has some termite or carpenter ant damage and a flea problem does exist because he has two dogs. Zeches denied there is a roach or rat infestation.
"What problems there are is fixable," Zeches said. "I could probably have had it three-quarters of the way fixed up by now if they did not bar me from the property."
Officials in April condemned Zeches' home as being unfit for human habitation. Last month, the city asked Florida Power to cut off the electricity.
City officials canceled a walk-though of the property on May 31 because of the bug infestation. The home is just blocks from City Hall.
"When the Building Department inspections supervisor went to your property today to re-post the same as unfit for human habitation, he was bitten numerous times by what he believes were fleas," building development director Patrick Murphy wrote when canceling the walk-through.
"He has recommended that no one else enter the property under the current conditions. The city has also received complaints about the pest infestation problem at the subject property from your neighbors."
Murphy told Zeches he would reschedule the walk-through after the infestation had been eliminated.
City officials met Zeches' pest control contractor at the house on Friday and saw a rat walk across the front porch and into the building, Murphy said. At that time, the contractor estimated it would cost $1,000 to fumigate the house. That has not been done, Murphy said, so officials have not rescheduled the walk-through.
The request to tear down a house for code violations is unusual for Pinellas Park, where officials prefer to negotiate with homeowners, but officials say Zeches has refused many opportunities to improve the property.
City records show problems with Zeches date to at least 1998 when he was ordered to clean up his property.
Zeches' most recent troubles began in January when code enforcement officers noted inoperable cars, a utility trailer with junk stored in it, and debris scattered on the property. The city ordered Zeches to fix things in April and May.
Zeches repaired the cars and registered them, according to city files.
Building department officials also found numerous violations, records show.
In February, the city told Zeches to fix his roof and repair water and termite damage. Nothing was done, according to the inspector's notes.
In April, city officials posted the home as unfit for habitation. Again, nothing was done, according to city documents.
In May, officials told Zeches to remove any property he wanted from the premises.
Later in the month, officials went to re-post the property after Zeches allegedly removed the sign.
"At that time, I was standing outside the front entrance door and I was inundated with fleas," according to the inspector's notes. "They covered my pants and shirt area."
Murphy and Gustafson met the inspector at the property on June 4 with a pest control specialist. According to the inspector's notes, the pest control worker "indicated the structure is ingested with rats, termites and fleas."