FELLSMERE — The City of Fellsmere is rid of one public nuisance home after taking ownership of a long-since vacated building on Grant Street near Lincoln Street and calling out a contractor to knock the house down and haul it away. It had been the source of numerous complaints, including drugs and prostitution.
“It was definitely unsafe,” Fellsmere Police Chief Scott Melanson said, adding that the house was not only unsafe for the residents nearby and those who were committing illegal activities within it, but also for officers who responded to the property, not sure of what they’d find.
When asked how many times police had gone out to the home – to execute search warrants or otherwise respond to calls for service – Chief Melanson said, “dozens, dozens.”
City officials walking the property prior to demolition discovered marijuana plants growing in a PVC pipe that had been converted to a planter. They also had discovered a mattress and condoms within the house.
“We’ve been trying to get the city” to get rid of the house for some time, the chief said.
Finance and Utility Director Larry Napier said he coughed for three hours after having walked the property and going inside the home. He explained that the home had severe water damage due to neglect and the house was riddled with mold and mildew.
The city foreclosed on the property and took ownership through its water fund due to water liens that had been placed on the site, according to Napier.
He said it was a creative way for the city to handle the abandoned property – and more cost effective than going through the Unsafe Structures process, which would have cost the city between $12,000 and $14,000.
“There’s no way we would have gotten our money back,” Napier said of that option.
Instead, pursuing the property through the city’s water fund and foreclosing on the water liens, the city spent about $8,000 to take ownership of and demolish the property.
“Fellsmere certainly knows how to get things done,” said Robert Beaudoin, of Titan General Contractors, the company hired to demolish the house on Grant.
Once he received the necessary permits from the Health Department and the county, abandoned the septic system and disconnected the utilities, “you pretty much drive through it,” he said of knocking the house down.
It took only 5 minutes for the claw of the excavator to tear down the structure – it took a few more hours to clear away the debris.
Fellsmere City Manager Jason Nunemaker said the demolition turned a public hazard into an asset, noting that in the short-term the property would become open green space.
What, exactly, the city will do with the property now that it’s been cleared has yet to be decided.
Napier said one option would be to one day place it on the market for sale to be used to build a new single family home, which would put the property back on the city’s tax rolls and pay back the water fund the expense of having acquired and demolished the property.
Nunemaker said it’s possible the city could work out a partnership with an organization, such as Habitat for Humanity, to build a home there for a needy family. Another option would be to use the site for stormwater or drainage needs.
“All of which (options) are better than what’s out there now,” Nunemaker said.
With the one property cleared, the city is turning its attention to the house directly across the street, which the county took due to four years of delinquent taxes.
Napier said he is waiting on the property’s certificate of title from the county before proceeding with demolishing it.
The city has a list of other properties that could be foreclosed on at some point due to unpaid water liens and other issues. Nunemaker said he would be updating the Fellsmere City Council soon with where those properties stand.
Chief Melanson said the police department continues to work with various city departments, including the Community Development Department, to identify problem properties.
“We try to hit it from every possible angle,” the chief said of tackling the sites, be it through Code Enforcement, Community Development or other routes.
