APOPKA, Fla. \u2013 Eight shopping carts. A grill wedged near a broken fence. A bathtub sitting by itself. Furniture, pieces of wood, household items and trash scattered so densely across one Apopka property that in some places it is difficult to see the yard underneath.<\/p>\n
For neighbors along Partnership Hills Drive, however, the striking appearance is only part of the frustration.<\/p>\n
They want to know when it will actually be cleaned up.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a mess. It look terrible, and it\u2019s been like that too long,\u201d said Ivera Crittenden, who told News 6 she has lived next door for 45 years.<\/p>\n
Crittenden said she has watched the accumulation grow and has contacted authorities about the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt shouldn\u2019t take that long for them to get it right,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
City records obtained by News 6 show Apopka has been working the case for months \u2014 through inspections, complaints, a hearing and now accumulating fines \u2014 but the property remains out of compliance.<\/p>\n
City records document more than just trash<\/p>\n
Apopka Code Enforcement opened case 26-00246 on April 16, according to records provided to News 6. The city said an initial inspection followed April 17.<\/p>\n
The case file describes a much broader list of alleged violations than what can be seen from the street. Among the conditions documented by Code Enforcement were open outdoor storage of trash, junk and debris; inoperative vehicles; no running water or electricity; unsanitary exterior surfaces; peeling or chipped paint; an exposed exterior electrical receptacle; and what the city described in its records as an unsecured and unsafe structure.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s listed corrective actions included clearing the trash and debris, addressing the vehicles, restoring utilities, repairing exterior conditions and securing or vacating the structure. The records also identify demolition as one possible route if the appropriate permitting process were completed.<\/p>\n
Steven Montiero, Apopka\u2019s director of public information, told News 6 the owner is not currently living in the house.<\/p>\n
Records show repeated complaints \u2014 and worsening conditions<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s file shows the problem did not disappear after that first inspection.<\/p>\n
A city entry says a neighbor called in June to report that no work had been done and raised concerns about broken glass near the property. Later that month, a SeeClickFix complaint reported \u201ca lot of trash\u201d across the front of the home.<\/p>\n
Another nearby resident contacted Code Enforcement June 30 about what the file describes as \u201cexcessive trash, junk, debris, and a potential safety hazard.\u201d<\/p>\n
By June 17, a Code Enforcement entry was blunt: \u201cConditions have gotten worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
Orange County District 3 staff also contacted the city in July to follow up on the active enforcement case, according to the records.<\/p>\n
Montiero acknowledged the deterioration during his interview with News 6.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they first came out and made the documentation back in April, it was pretty messy,\u201d he said. By a later review, he said, \u201cit was a little, little messier.\u201d<\/p>\n
One neighbor is angry. Another wants people to remember the person behind the property.<\/p>\n
Crittenden\u2019s concern is intensely personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like it, \u2018cause that make degrade my property, and I am a taxpayer,\u201d she told News 6. \u201cI\u2019m 84 years old, and I would like some decency.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said she has seen items continually brought onto the property and believes the conditions have gone on far too long.<\/p>\n
Near the end of her interview, Crittenden said she wants Apopka\u2019s mayor to see what neighbors are living beside.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to talk to the mayor myself,\u201d she said, adding, \u201cI have to live here. He doesn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
But another longtime neighbor offered a different perspective.<\/p>\n
Carol Hankins, who said she has lived across the street for about 30 years, remembers a very different property \u2014 and a very different chapter in the life of the man associated with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas is a good person, and he always took care of his yard. He always took care of everything until something happened to him,\u201d Hankins said.<\/p>\n
Hankins told News 6 she wants the situation resolved but also believes the response should consider the person behind the property rather than focusing solely on punishment.<\/p>\n
The neighbors\u2019 accounts differ on some details surrounding how the property reached its current condition, but both describe watching a once-maintained home become overwhelmed by accumulated items.<\/p>\n
A hearing brought much steeper consequences<\/p>\n
The case eventually went before an Apopka Special Magistrate on Aug. 18.<\/p>\n
According to the city\u2019s case file, the property was found in violation and adjudicated guilty. The order gave the property 15 days to come into compliance.<\/p>\n
The consequences after that deadline were substantial.<\/p>\n
City records state that beginning Sept. 3, a $1,000-per-day fine could be levied against the property. The magistrate also imposed a separate one-time $1,000 fine.<\/p>\n
The record states no representative for the property was present at the hearing. It also shows the property owner\u2019s son contacted the city afterward and spoke with staff about the hearing\u2019s outcome and when fines would begin.<\/p>\n
The city conducted another inspection in September and reported the conditions remained unchanged. An affidavit of non-compliance was issued Sept. 8, according to the case information provided to News 6.<\/p>\n
So why doesn\u2019t the city simply clean it up?<\/p>\n
That is the question several neighbors are asking.<\/p>\n
Montiero said the city cannot immediately enter private property and remove everything after receiving a complaint. Code Enforcement must move through an administrative and legal process that gives the property owner an opportunity to comply.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people want this stuff cleaned up right away. I can totally understand that,\u201d Montiero said. \u201cAny type of issue within a city takes time. It\u2019s government work. So there is a process in which this has to go through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montiero said continued noncompliance can eventually push the case into a legal process where the city could step in and perform the cleanup itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt some point, it\u2019s gonna get to a legal process to where the city will have to step in and clean it up themselves,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
If that happens, Montiero said the city could initially absorb cleanup costs while continuing to pursue money associated with the property.<\/p>\n
What the city did not provide News 6 was a firm date by which all of the debris will be gone.<\/p>\n
Fire Department has also been made aware<\/p>\n
The conditions have drawn attention beyond Code Enforcement.<\/p>\n
Montiero told News 6 the Apopka Fire Department has documented the property as a safety awareness for its personnel, so responding firefighters know what they could encounter if they are called there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis creates a risk anywhere,\u201d Montiero said, explaining that the volume of debris could be relevant if crews were responding to something such as a structure fire.<\/p>\n
News 6 has separately sought information from fire officials about the specific life-safety concerns associated with the property.<\/p>\n
What happens next?<\/p>\n
The next major step is another Code Enforcement inspection scheduled for Oct. 2, according to Montiero.<\/p>\n
If the property remains out of compliance, he said inspectors will document the conditions again and the financial penalties can continue accumulating.<\/p>\n
When News 6 asked whether there eventually comes a point when fines stop being an effective enforcement tool, Montiero answered, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Crittenden, however, the measurement that matters is not the size of the fine.<\/p>\n
It is what she sees when she steps outside her home.<\/p>\n
She has lived beside this property for nearly half a century. Now, at 84, she says she is waiting for the inspections, hearings and fines to produce something much easier to see: a clean yard.<\/p>\n
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