Article
and Video Courtesy of
Channel
2 WESH.COM, Orlando
Published
March 7, 2010
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Watch
VIDEO
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WILBUR-BY-THE-SEA,
Fla. -- A Volusia County home has become a nuisance for an entire
neighborhood, and county code enforcement is now involved.
Clothes hung around the
home and a mound of sand out front are just a couple of
the many problems, neighbors said.
"This was, at one time,
arguably the prettiest house in the neighborhood,"
said Wilbur-by-the-Sea resident Pam Lucas.
Lucas is also the president of the
local homeowner's association, and she said that since the
current resident moved in several years back, things have
turned ugly along Venetian Way. |
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The
paint color is an eye-opener, but it's the underwear strung up all around
the house, the debris piled high and the ungainly sand mound with
projectiles sticking out that disturb so many.
Lucas said most people
in the neighborhood are elderly.
"I would imagine that would
create stress for anybody, and it has created stress for
some of our older neighbors, and we are concerned for
them," she said.
Robert Hodges, who goes by the name
Prince Mongo, wasn't home on Friday, but neighbors think
what they call a bizarre eyesore is retaliation. |
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Hodges,
whose nephew owns the property, was forced to take down an unpermitted
deck. That's when the property became a landfill that attracts a steady
stream of gawkers, residents said.
"They're
looking at this as they're driving," Lucas said.
"They're not paying attention to their driving, so
yes, there certainly is a safety issue here."
WESH 2's Claire Metz said
it wasn't easy to get anyone in the neighborhood to talk
about the property. People in the area are reluctant to
confront Hodges. Some said they're afraid of him, but
others said they worry they'd be drawing attention to the
home and it could get worse.
The property has repeatedly
been cited by
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county
code enforcement, and there are new violations that have been filed, along
with a $1,000 lien. Residents are demanding more action, and soon.
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