Coral Springs officials discuss city foreclosures
With the rate of foreclosures in the city growing at the rate of 10 percent every month, Coral Springs officials recently mulled ways of reducing its impact on property values in the community.
At a workshop to discuss the issue, staff recommended using city funds to maintain single-family homes located on public streets to prevent neighborhood decay. An accelerated code enforcement process and additional special magistrate hearing are needed. Homeowners should maintain properties within their legal right while new processes or codes should be introduced for vacant and abandoned properties, they said.
Apart from using its own funds, the city should look at potential federal, state and local grants, in addition to Community Development Block Grants, to fund maintenance of foreclosed properties. Educating residents about foreclosures was important, staff said.
In 2006, the city saw 2,531 sales, of which just 1.3 percent were foreclosure sales. In 2007, the number of sales fell to 1,961. As many as 14.4 percent of these were some form of foreclosures. In 2007, real estate ownership totaled 183 units. The corresponding number, in just four months this year, is already 211.
As many as 80 percent of the foreclosures are primary residences, Donmez said.
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ARUN SIVASANKARAN
Comments
I have been a resident of CS for 30 years, attracted at first to the "City in the Country". I have becoming increasingly disenchanted with our city for some time now.
1. The condition of foreclosure homes is deplorable. The house directly across the street from me is falling down. No one has attempted to clean up the debris. The grass has been cut three times in eighteen months.
I have repeatedly contacted code enforcement and nothing is done. In the April 17 edition of the Forum Assistant City Manager Erdal Donmez is quoted as saying, "This [the impact of foreclosures]was on our radar screen two years ago." If this is the case, why didn't the city do some prior planning in this regard. In the same article City Manager Mike Levinson states that "homes in that neighborhood can suffer a 10% decrease in value." This is probably an underestimate, in my opinion. Why isn't someone taking responsibility for this blight on our neighborhoods? Does anyone care? I'll bet city official would care if a neglected home was on their block.
2. I don't think the city is kept as clean as it once was. For example, barricades and sand bags were put up all along University Drive during construction. When the barricades were removed, the sand bags were left to litter the gutter all along the street. Looks terrible!
3. In the past I have been told by city official that solicitors are not permitted to go door-to-door unless they have a permit and represent a religious group. Last week two different groups presented themselves at my door to sell products like security systems. On reporting these incidents I was told that these individuals were in the process of obtaining permits from the city and once those were obtained they would be free to knock on my door to sell their products. When did this change? Why does the city have the right to decide who comes on my property? It is my firm conviction that the city has a responsibility to its tax-paying residents to provide a sheild against situations like this.
4. Activities designed to bring people to the city - craft fairs, music festivals, etc., are very limited. Witness Delray Beach. There is something going on in that city every weekend. These activities bring south Floridians to Delray where they can shop, eat, etc., thus bolstering the economy there. Why doesn't Coral Springs do more of this? This is a city that could support a myriad of activities, but I do not see much going on.
Coral Springs is a nice city, but I believe that some of these issues need to be addressed.
Posted by: Barbara C. Beahan | May 24, 2008 9:40 AM