Issue 1886271 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue.

This is a house that was physically moved from Old NE neighborhood and will be reconstructed back here on this lot. It looks ugly now, but the person/company managing the reconstruction is respected and will do a great job adding a "new" house to our neighborhood. From what I understand, it is the same company that moved/reconstructed the house that is now located on the SW corner of 7th St N and 9th Ave N (with the white picket fence) and that place is gorgeous.

Please be patient and I think the neighborhood will appreciate the result :)

Note: I am just reporting what I have heard, I don't intend to spread misinformation if any details are inaccurate. I do know, for sure, this house was moved from another location and will be reconstructed, as there was a sign on the property previously displaying this intention.

Forgive my cynicism but at this point I'm not buying it. I might try to keep a positive attitude if I'd seen one sign that this is going to be started (much less completed) soon. As it is, that land wasn't even leveled in order to seat the home and frankly, it looks irreparable ( and it is in no was comparable to the house at 7th and 9th). But hey, the owner doesn't live on this street so no need for urgency.
Sorry; not jumping on you HUNA Friend; just frustrated.

Hmm ok I'll see if I can research and dig into this more.

S LaBare is absolutely correct, unfortunately. We need to stop this before it is worse.
But to the city: Permits may protect him on the lack of work somehow, but please don't allow the mold and unhealthy and unsafe conditions to invite strays of ALL types. We see kids and others entering structures at various times, not to mention rodents.

Old bed now found its way to the dumping lot. What is next? How much longer until something is done?

Yeah this is bad....finally saw it for myself....everything is basically exposed to the elements, the lot is not leveled, there is no foundation for the house to sit on.

I put in a call with Code Enforcement for an update. I'll post here when I hear back.

Ok. Spoke with Gene in Code Enforcement, he was actually proactive about opening up a case 8 days prior to it being reported here because he recognized "what a mess" it was just driving by it. There isn't much Codes can do to cite the owner because exposure is allowable while under construction. He gave me the permit number (15-05000672) and directed me to the Building Dept (727-893-7231) for more info.

Spoke with building dept. The house was moved from 535 21st Ave. NE (Snell Isle), and it had a $365,000 value (incl. Snell lot) according to Trulia.com. Avg. Value for properties in Snell is $580,000. The house was originally built in 1940s.

http://www.trulia.com/homes/Florida/Saint_Petersburg/sold/3810295-535-21st-Ave-NE-Saint-Petersburg-FL-33704

The owner of the house is different than the owner of the lot (both are easily searchable on the pinellas county appraiser website) and the Snell address has two permits for 2015 - one to demolish in March, and one to build a new house in June.

The building dept. told me currently the 9th Ave. N permit is on HOLD, so no construction can take place. Someone (owner or contractor) is missing paperwork to allow the construction to move forward. No date was given when it can be expected to continue (bummer).

I pressed the building dept about neighborhood concerns of the exposed building and the subsequent liabilities and trash dumps, the woman took down my contact information and will speak with her supervisor as to what other actions can be taken.

Hopefully I will hear back with more info and will post here.

Thanks for your efforts and for the update, HUNA Friend. Let me preface the following with a reminder that is not directed at you at all: I call shenanigans. I realize the wheels of government turn slowly and there's an anbundance of red tape, yada yada, but this should never have been allowed to happen. Why in the heck was this ridiculous move allowed to take place if all the necessary paperwork wasn't in place? (rhetorical question; I don't expect you to know). To categorize this abomination as "under construction is utter BS" and it it totally irrelevant what Snell Isle properties are since this is not Snell Isle, and we all know 99% of the $365,000 was indeed the property upon which it sat. Shame on the person responsible for this.

S LaBare, I have some ideas on how we can approach this. How can I get in contact with you?

Thank you both for your support! Seeing this hazard daily is very frustrating. We are not well versed in matters of this type of communication and awareness so thank you again. It is interesting reading the permit and code info online, now that we have found it.

If the building permit is on "hold", then how is the permit stopping the enforcement of Code Violations?????? Seems that the permit has been on hold for months now. Next the owner will likely apply for a "Permit Extension" for a nominal fee which will further prolong the protection of the owner instead of neighbors from the owner. Huna Friend, it sounds like the owner knows he is covered. Did you see how many "homes" he owns and the history of the codes violations on them? Wow!

The city better not approve the extension without undeniable proof of funding and intent of immediate development with contracts and actual contractors ready to engage immediately. The owner with a ladder, hammer and a truck shouldn't be mistaken for progress (code enforcement noted progress in his report).

We can't believe that those buildings are salvageable with the mold that is already growing in them and the water damage they have taken on. $365K?? We can't even imagine they are worth anything. Maybe the plan is to get rid of them? Let us hope.

Perhaps the community needs to get together with letters and communications to City Council, Mayor etc. to bring awareness to this obvious "abomination".

HUNA Friend,

I am absolutely amenable to speaking further directly but not sure how to give you my contact info without making it public( please excuse my techno-ignorance). If there is a way to convey a way for me to reach you, I will glady reciprocate.

Uptowner,

Thanks for caring and taking the time to get involved. The owner of the property has many properties in the area and knows all the ins and outs / most certainly has "connections". It is not my intention to disparage him personally, but let's just say I'm familiar with a lengthy history of some of the less savory results of his endeavors. Truth be told, I really blame the City; one cannot get away with this kind of nonsense without their complicity. I too am not versed in how to proceed, but let's learn and work together so as to elevate our neighborhood, or at the very least, not take it ten steps back(don't know how long you've been in the area, but I've lived with this kind of crud for twelve years and just as things started looking up, this debacle arises).

I agree on the privacy concerns. Let's just continue here in this open forum, shall we?

I spoke with Building Dept. -> Planning Division this morning and got the contact information for the head of the building dept, Rick Dunn, who actually approved the permit for the move. He was unavailable to speak but I left the story with his secretary who, assured me, will pass my concerns on. Furthermore, I'll be snapping some lovely pictures of this beautiful mansion and forwarding those to Rick as well.

Stay tuned for updates.

I am interested in knowing more about the owner. Is there a way I can research his endeavors? Also, are you referring to the owner of the 9th Ave lot or the Snell Isle lot? They appear to be different.

I agree on the privacy aspect. Maybe it is just easier to coordinate here in this open forum. I think the major step we need to take is to get answers from the building dept who issues the permits. We need to put pressure on them to levy fines (at the least) and to expedite cleanup. I researched why someone would "deconstruct" a house rather than "demolish" and apparently there are tax breaks involved that can actually make it cheaper. Deconstructing typically means breaking down to scrap and selling what is salvageable, but I wonder if there are some benefits to the home owner being capitalized on here by using this lot as a dumping station.

Uptowner, how did you research building permit online? I couldn't get the permit to come up on the city website. I am interested to see the track records of the players involved. Can you link me?

I will be calling the building department again today. They didn't get back to me with more information (suprise).

If needed, I have an investigative reporter we can put on this case as well. We need answers stat.

Huna Friend,
I am referring to the owner of 9th Ave. I don't think that Old Northeast (not Snell Isle) owners are involved as "rumor" says they were going to demo it to build new (new owner asked if he could save it) and felt better knowing it was going to be saved by the new owner moving it.

I followed the complaint number on this link and then searched all over in the city site and found the permit info. Had to click on everything but found it. I'll go back and do it again and post it asap.

S LaBare,
I have no ill will or personal issue with the owner since I don't claim to know him. My complaint is with what we see daily and nightly. The safety concern his mess is causing for my kids and neighborhood and the EXTREME lack of "give a heck" for our safety and well being irritates me.
Yes the city is at fault too. They should have been all over this immediately and it should be a hot button for them. Instead Huna Friend doesn't even get a return phone call and the on-hold permit protects the property from a single code violation??

Link to Permit https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovBP/selectpermit.html

Permit Number 15 5000672

If you click all around in there and on different things you will find info.
It appears that "rumor" referred to earlier is supported by permit as Owner (9th Ave) hired the same contractor to do all of the necessary work required to relocate and rebuild, even at the previous address. Rick Dunn will be able to tell you that.

HUNA Friend and Uptowner,

Keep up the good work! And thank you both for doing all the grotty leg work; getting info from the city can be a frustrating and time consuming task and I apologize than I am not available during their working hours to contribute, but if it comes down to it and we need to go to a council meeting or whatever, believe me you can count on me to make the time.

At this point, I do wish we could all speak privately because I do have a bit of insight into the owner (of the lot on 9th and the nightmare in question) but I don't want to sound off here. Just to give you one instance, he owns a property that is apparently Section 8 ( I think he owns several but I only have intimate experience with one in particular) and this site does not contain enough bandwidth for me to relate the goings on I've witnessed there. I believe there is a term for such a person . . .

In the meantime, I'll keep my eye on the eyesore and keep checking back here. And again, if there is more that I can do to help with this matter please let me know.

http://www.pcpao.org/query_name.php?Text1=taber%2C+mark&nR=50

http://www.pcpao.org/?pg=http://www.pcpao.org/general.php?strap=173033897570010190

http://www.pcpao.org/?pg=http://www.pcpao.org/general.php?strap=163124979200010010

https://actiononline.stpete.org/Click2GovBP/permitinfo.html?OWASP_CSRFTOKEN=40IA-RTTS-D2YY-U22T-JART-JPCN-H7VF-VU9J&planActionCommentDetailView=true&PlanActionIndex=0

Still sitting on wheels on dirt. Yet it appears the credits are rolling in and approved already. I wonder if this will go in his non-profit name also?

What is the latest for our neighborhood while the owner resides in his million dollar home on the water?

Hoping for some action.

I am still waiting to hear back from Rick Dunn. I was busy last week and was unable to reach out ( I was really hoping he would reach out to me) but I will start calling his office on Monday.

All,

Nothing new to report; I still see the same heap of garbage on my corner every day, getting drenched and moldering. . . just want to check in and ask how the heck can I NOT receive every report on every issue in every neighborhood? I literally had 350 Clix emails and when I attempted to create my area of interest, well, it did not work. Any tips you can provide would be great (holy cow, judging by the number of complaints, I fear our fair city really needs a serious clean up!)

Also, (sorry for the double post) do you attend the Uptown Neighborhood meetings? I did for a bit but found the discussion usually centered around the Round Lake Neighborhood so I stopped going. I don't know how many of us north of 9th Ave attend, but obviously we have a real issue on our hands and it would be a great way for us to consolidate our efforts ( and no, you will never see the owner in question at any of these meetings. Surprise.)

I have yet to hear back from Rick Dunn. I sent another email, if I don't hear something, I'll be calling his office again.

Yes, I plan on going to the next meeting and bringing this up. Here is the meeting info:

October General Meeting- First Tuesday Monthly
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
St. Anthony's Hosptial Classroom D

Thank you.

Thank you, HUNA Friend, Barring any extenuating circumstances I fully plan to attend so perhaps we can meet. As I mentioned, I am being inundated with emails from this Clix program so I may need to unsubscribe and then resubscribe, hopefully setting the parameters properly this time. If I don't check in before then, I look forward to Tuesday's meeting.

This is the crux of the response I received from Rick:

Per Florida Statutes, the permit is valid until December 15, 2015. The permit is on hold because we have not received the NOC for this address. I will wait until October 5th for a response and a status update. If I do not hear from the contractor I will speak with our Codes Compliance Department and determine our options related to City Codes.

Can you be more specific about the location of the meeting?

4 months now...any updates to this?

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/what-should-you-do-if-you-cant-save-a-house-you-love-just-move-it/2260064

Yeah, right. Sorry, too many years of experiencing the . . . unsavory wake this slum lord has left behind in this neighborhood have rendered me incapable of giving a rat's behind about his sentimental journey and false promises.

Any updates to this? It's only been 6 months and still zero progress.

At the most recent HUNA meeting, the head of Codes Compliance mentioned they can step in when progress appears to halt on construction projects. I would reach out to codes 727-893-7373 and ask if they have details as to what is going on. Please report back with details as well!

Why is this still a problem in historic uptown. A year & a half... 18 Mths! How is this still the eye sore of your beloved community with the highest amount of complaints on this site. Any updates would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all the communities hard work in this per previous comments on this post starting 18 months ago.

Thank you for your past submission via SeeClickFix. The City of St Petersburg periodically reviews past reports that are made from citizens within our city limits, and in an effort to clean-up old issues that were resolved some time ago, we are marking as 'closed' those issues that were submitted in the past for which the work has been completed or the issue has otherwise been resolved.

If you think for any reason that the issue you submitted in the past might still be unresolved, please feel free to submit a new report with the SeeClickFix St. Pete website and we will make sure the issue is directed to the appropriate City department to be addressed as soon as possible.

Thank you again - Sincerely,
Mayor's Action Center