Miami looks to clean up abandoned properties

As Miami begins to emerge from the real estate bust, the city is turning its attention to abandoned foreclosed properties that have become magnets for crime, drugs and filth. The Miami Herald reported that two city commissioners have proposed ordinances that would tackle the problem.

Commissioner Frank Carollo wants the city to fill open excavations that have been abandoned for more than three months, while Comissioner Marc Sarnoff has proposed a bill requiring the city to clear rubble after demolition of unsafe structures and to create green spaces instead.

These proposals would work to fend off the problems stemming from properties and development sites that were abandoned after the market collapsed. More and more, building inspectors are citing abandoned homes and buildings in foreclosure, where they have found infrastructure in disrepair, drugs and prostitution.

When owners fail to respond to the violations, the city’s unsafe structures board determines whether to demolish them. In the past 18 months, Miami has demolished 36 homes, while funding from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program has compelled almost 100 more owners to do the same. [Miami Herald]