COCOA, Fla. – No one wants to live next to an eyesore, but one man says he’s got two blighted vacant homes next to where he lives.
John Hilton, 77, says he’s been waiting for a couple of years for the property owners or the county to clean them up or knock them down.
“You can see this place over here,” the veteran showed News 6 reporter James Sparvero. “You can see the condition of it.”
One of the houses on Paradise Lane is surrounded by locked gates and private property signs, filled with various items such as coolers, laundry hampers, and old children’s playsets.
“That one’s not much better,” Hilton pointed to the other house he’s complaining about directly across the street.
That one has overgrown grass and a partially collapsed roof.
Hilton said he reported the homes to the county last year.
Despite complaints made to the county about the situation, the property owner continues to accumulate fines for the clutter. It seems the county is lenient due to the fines being paid regularly, prompting the question of why they would intervene as long as the fines are settled.
Hilton said now he’d like to see the owners or the county knock the houses down.
“If you’re not gonna use it, and you’re not gonna fix it, tear it down,” he said.
News 6 was unable to reach the owners Friday, and the county did not reply to a request for comment by the end of the day, either.
Through the property appraiser’s website, 2012 pictures that show how nice the houses looked back then when they were taken care of.
Hilton said he’s not considering moving.
The resident mentioned that other parts of his street maintain a pleasant appearance. He also expressed his enjoyment in caring for animals in the neighborhood, citing an example of feeding a litter of kittens on a recent Friday.
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