Miami neighborhood eyesore fines over $ 500,000 – NBC 6 South Florida

Vivian Guzman says living in the Shenandoah neighborhood of Miami is a dream.

“They are beautiful old houses,” said Vivian Guzman.

But there’s one nightmare she says has haunted her for more than a decade.

“You have to see this, and it’s unacceptable,” said Guzman.

Overgrown grass, a yard filled with rubble, and a fading facade of a house on 20th Street are among the code compliance issues Guzman claims to have reported to the city of Miami.

“I contacted the city on numerous occasions at the beginning of the hurricane season for some help,” Guzman said.

Georg Ketelhohn also lives in the Shenandoah district. He says he offered to help the homeowner clean up the mess.

“We cannot enter her property without her permission, we have offered our help, but she does not want any help,” said Ketelhohn.

With little help from the city, the neighbors called NBC 6 for help.

NBC 6 responses found the city has imposed 13 violations of the law on the home since 2005. The home owner also incurred fines of $ 558,250.

“There is an active open violation of overgrowth and for junk and trash,” said Robert Santos-Alborna.

Santos-Alborna is the new Code Enforcement Director for Miami. He has been on duty for three months, but took a closer look at this case after our phone call.

“There is one case of unsafe structure that has been referred to the building for assessment and based on their technical expertise the property itself is not unsafe,” said Santos-Alborna.

He says, although the house has amassed fines, unlike other communities, Miami cannot enter private property to correct this type of problem without an order from a judge.

“In order to enter private property, to remove the overgrowth, to remove the garbage and the garbage, we need an injunction,” said Santos-Alborna.

He says an injunction is in the works.

“I would like to say that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” said Santos-Alborna.

We contacted the owner of the property, by phone they told us that they had done repairs such as painting the side walls of the house and washing the roof. However, they did not say how long it will take to complete the work.

According to Santos-Alborna, a restraining order can take up to 90 days, but that allows them to enter the property to correct the violations.

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from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/miami-neighborhood-eyesore-fines-over-500000-nbc-6-south-florida/