TAMPA, Fla. (AP) _ The city of Tampa is tearing down 51 abandoned homes in one neighborhood in hopes of eradicating blight and revitalizing the area.
The Tampa Bay Times (http://bit.ly/TXOcP3) reports that each of the homes has a string of code enforcement violations.
All have been deemed uninhabitable and none are historic _ although many are in foreclosure.
The city is paying the $5,500 cost of each demolition, and the city’s Clean City Division will maintain each lot.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he hopes to lure builders to construct new homes and says the city might be in a position to help with down-payment assistance with part of Florida’s share of a multibillion-dollar foreclosure settlement.
