Peter Strungis says that a broken-down house across the street from his home on Sheffield Avenue in Marco Island has been trashed ever since he can remember, and he's lived there for seven years.
"Million-dollar houses in the area, and this looks like a ghetto right here," Strungis said.
"We live on this beautiful island, and we have to live across from this," neighbor Susan Law added.
The multi-story home at 1909 Sheffield does appear very dilapidated. Mounds of trash and debris spill out from the broken-open garage door; the wooden stairs leading to the front door are broken; windows are boarded up around the house. Debris and signs of disrepair are everywhere.
"This isn't from the hurricane," Strungis said, referring to Hurricane Irma, which made landfall on Marco Island on September 10. "This is just how it looks all the time."
While the house does have an owner, he said no one has lived there for years. Daphne Moss, who lives down the street, said she's concerned for the safety of any kids who are tempted to go inside.
"Middle school, high school kids are in there doing who-knows-what," Moss said. "Anyone can get into the pool."
Captain Dave Baer of Marco Island Police, who also supervises code compliance officers, said that the home had once been foreclosed, but that the bank gave up on the run-down home and let it go back to the owner. He said that the owner has been fined more than $200,000 for various code violations.
Baer said he is aware of a potential buyer who is interested in the property, who is currently in talks with the city to try to mitigate the fines.
"We really need the city to let those fines go, and let them re-do this house and make it not an eyesore anymore," Moss said. "Help our property values, and the safety of our little neighborhood."
