Lake Worth takes on abandoned homes

William Waters, director of Lake Worth’s Community Development Department, is working to address the problem of abandoned homes and apartments that invite crime by proposing an ordinance allowing the city to add cleaning and boarding up expenses to property tax bills, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The city also intends to offer banks the option of deeding foreclosed homes to the city if the banks are willing to pay for cleaning or demolition. Donated properties could be used for low-income housing, open space or community gardens, the Post said.
About 180 Lake Worth properties are in some state of foreclosure and have code violations. [Palm Beach Post]