TREASURE ISLAND — City commissioners have given code enforcement officers new authority to condemn and demolish dangerous buildings at the owner’s expense and to clear overgrown lots by placing liens on the properties.
The commission unanimously approved both ordinances on first reading May 19. A second reading is scheduled for July 7.
The measures target abandoned homes and unkempt properties that city officials say have proven difficult to address under existing rules.
“For code enforcement, there are various tools in the toolbox,” Nancy Stuprich, a code enforcement attorney with the Voss Law Firm, told commissioners. “You had tools in the toolbox, and what we are trying to do tonight is to really sharpen those where we can get over some of the challenges that your department has faced.”
The first ordinance targets dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe or uninhabitable buildings. Stuprich said the city previously lacked a way to address such properties quickly.
Enforcement will be driven by the building official, who will inspect a property and determine whether it is unsafe, she said. The ordinance grants the building official authority to abate the situation, including by demolition.
Stuprich said the demolition authority is intended for severe cases in which the city is justified in spending public money to fix a hazard.
The ordinance declares it in the public interest “to eliminate dangerous or unsafe structures as public nuisances and to protect neighborhoods from decline and devaluation.”
While the city’s stated aim is compliance, structures declared a nuisance can be demolished after notice to the owner, a hearing and an order from a special magistrate. Costs are assessed as a lien, which the city may collect through foreclosure or as a non-ad valorem special assessment on the property tax bill.
A building official, the fire chief or their designees may periodically inspect structures with the owner’s consent. If access is denied, those officials may request an administrative search or inspection warrant from the special magistrate. The ordinance also preserves the City Commission’s authority to file a circuit court action at any time.
A related provision protects renters displaced by condemnation. When a building is condemned because of an owner’s negligent or intentional act — or failure to act — the owner must arrange safe, sanitary housing for displaced residents within eight hours of the order to vacate. The owner must cover reasonable relocation expenses until the building is again safe to occupy, or for at least three months.
The second ordinance addresses overgrown and neglected lots as public nuisances. It prohibits “unhealthful accumulations,” including excessive vegetation, and requires that vacant, cleared or graded lots be kept stable to prevent erosion, standing water, uncontrolled stormwater runoff, nuisance dust and conditions that breed mosquitoes.
Violations include exposed soil that contributes to erosion or sediment runoff onto neighboring properties, rights of way, drainage systems or waterways; stagnant water; airborne dust; and failure to maintain stabilization measures.
If a property owner does not comply within 14 days of notice — or within an extended period specified in the notice — the city manager may direct city crews to do the work.
The owner will then be billed. Unpaid costs become a lien on the property after 10 days. Owners also must pay a $250 administrative fee and reimburse the city for the cost of preparing and recording the lien. Failure to pay results in an additional lien.
“The city will be expending some money and staff time to do the lot clearing, but we can recover that, and we will,” Stuprich said. “It’s money you’re paying to make the community more attractive. Under your first ordinance, you’re making your community more safe and trying to address the very serious dilapidated, unsafe buildings.”