HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A "Call Christina" investigation led to citations against a property owner and an awareness of the city of Hollywood's current efforts to enhance code enforcement.
The city of Hollywood is working to toughen up code and address code officer shortage.
One woman living in Hollywood said she is fed up with all the junk cluttering her neighbor's yard -- objects she said could prove dangerous during a storm.
Local 10 News viewer Pamela "Ella" Haws contacted the Call Christina hotline after claiming the city of Hollywood was not doing enough to crackdown on a neighbor's code violations.
According to Haws, her neighbor's yard contains a "mixture of garbage" and "hard junk" to include 2x4s, crates, bed frames, plywood, and an un-permitted shed that houses a washing machine.
"My fear is that hurricane season is coming. Some of these things are flying around. I don't want my house damaged," said Haws.
After repeated contact with the city's code enforcement team didn't result in new citations, she grew frustrated, and contacted the Call Christina team for help.
"With the city codes in place, I don't feel like I should have to be looking at this in my yard," Haws said.
"It is a discussion that is going on a lot here at City Hall, because we have recognized that code enforcement in the city is a real problem and we are working to address that," said Hollywood spokeswoman Raelin Storey. "In some cases, we actually need tougher codes to address some of the problems you identified at the property."
Take for example, the debris scattered around the yard which Haws fears could pose a safety risk during a storm.
Storey said current code does not "adequately address" people who store items on their property that they don't plan to dispose of.
There is also a matter of personnel.
"Is there an issue with boots on the ground to be able to enforce the codes that currently exist?" Local 10 News reporter Christina Vazquez asked Storey.
"There has been," said Storey. "That's been an issue and that's one we are seeking to address right now. At one point in time, around 2009 we had 19 code officers, in 2011 that number was down to 11 code officers, now we are at 14 and we're still down about two and a half code officers, so we're trying to build that force back up and it does make a difference."
When it comes to Haws, Storey said, "I think she's made a lot of outreach, but I don't think it would be fair to say we didn't respond. The code enforcement officer over that area went back out to the property after the pictures that you had sent us and looked at it and found that some of the efforts to bring the property owner in to compliance had either fallen back, and they had more stuff out, or they hadn't really complied. So at that point in time, two different citations were cited to the owner."
One was for the grass code requires people to maintain grass on their property, and the other was for a "comingled materials" violation, which essentially addresses the storage of various materials on the property.
Haws' neighbors are tenants and told Local 10 News they don't see anything wrong with the condition of the property. They had vowed to remove some of the clutter and said patches to the roof installed with metal sheeting would soon be repaired.
A code officer also told property owner Gino Tavormina he would need a business tax receipt. Attempts by Local 10 News to speak with Tavormina were unsuccessful.
Communities like the city of Hollywood enact codes in order to maintain property values. These codes are put in place in hopes of establishing a baseline of what an acceptable property standard is.
"We would love it if people would exceed that, but certainly they need to meet that," said Storey, "Owning property is a responsibility. Maintaining your property is everyone's responsibility and does impact your neighbor's quality of life."
Storey tells Local 10 News the "property currently has cases open for dead and missing ground cover and the un-permitted shed in the back yard that contains a washing machine." The current tenants have indicated to a code officer that they plan to move out by this weekend.
Storey added that the city recently held a property standards workshop and are reviewing property standards. Any proposed code change would need to be approved by the city commission.
The city plans to continue to dispatch code officers to ensure the property owner is in compliance.
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