ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Work is underway to demolish an abandoned mobile home park in East Orange County.
Our News 6 viewers told us about the Lake Downey Mobile Home Park when we “Hit the Road” to visit the 32825 ZIP code. Families there called it an eyesore and a nuisance and told us they were fed up with this problem spot. The county started the process to get results for the community and expedited permits so a contracted crew could clear out the park Friday.
Mayra Uribe, District 3 county commissioner, met our News 6 team at the property as the work began.
“We’ve had two fires in the last three weeks. We’ve had squatters. We’ve had drug paraphernalia. We’ve had a very unsafe environment,” Uribe said. “It finally gets to a point where you start saying, ‘We need action,’ and what you’re seeing today is action.”
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Uribe says concern for the safety of the abandoned park and the safety of families nearby led the county to take action without the property owners. Our News 6 investigators found out they have racked up more than $3 million in fines, as well as multiple violations.
“The county tried. We’ve got code enforcement violations. We’ve got a lack of permitting. We’ve got all these things,” Uribe said.
News 6 reporter Catherine Silver asked Uribe what responsibility the owner will bear for the toll this property has taken on the community. She said the cost of the demolition will be forwarded to the owner by a lien on the property.
“The owner is going to be bearing a lot,” Uribe said. “They’re already bearing a daily fee (...) I don’t know where ultimately if it becomes a legal issue, I don’t know to what extent they’re held responsible.”
Angel Coleman works at the Faith United Methodist Church right across the street.
“I’ve worked here for seven years, and you know, I’ve seen the community full of people and kids walking by every day to go to school,” Coleman said.
Coleman said the property is an eyesore and a safety issue, but she hopes it can be turned into something that will serve the needs of her community.
“Affordable housing,” Coleman said. “We know that we have families in this area, you know, people that just can’t stretch their dollars.”
Uribe says clearing the land is a long-awaited step forward. A developer has shown interest in building housing on the property, but it’s unclear if that will happen.
“I’m trying to work with the county to see what we can do to get that step moving, because I know we need housing,” Uribe said. “We know that something better could be built here that would be prosperous for everyone around.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: