The notorious Satellite Beach eyesore home at 375 Lee Ave. with 12 years and about $300,000 worth of code violations will soon disappear as part of a June 19 City Council agreement with homeowner Edwin Strother of Melbourne.
The council accepted Strother’s offer to pay $30,000, which will release a lien on the property as long as the dilapidated structure is completely torn down and the lot seeded or sodded by Aug. 5.
On Aug. 26, 2008, the Satellite Beach Code Enforcement Board concluded an order for the homeowner to make repairs, but the house remained vacant and in disrepair with a further decline in conditions. The fines on the property have accumulated at $50 per day for each day in violation and have now reached approximately $300,000, said John Stone, development director and building official.
“Fines are not imposed to be punitive but to encourage compliance; for that reason, the City Council was agreeable to the fine reduction to approximately $30,000 providing the house was (torn down) to make way for a new home at some point,’’ Stone said.
“This solution appears to be good for the nearby community, the city and the property owner.”
City Council member Mindy Gibson, after hearing years of citizens’ complaints, is also pleased at the latest turn of events at 375 Lee Avenue.
“I am relieved to have the resolution on the Lee Avenue property. For 12 years this property has slowly fallen into disrepair to the point that it needs to be torn down while incurring $300,000 in fines for non-compliance along with costs the city incurred securing the property.
“I believe the reduced cost of $30,000 is a reasonable amount that allows the owner to pay and the ultimate goal being that the property is razed to the ground and is no longer a safety concern,” she said.
