City Tackles Blight in Central Tampa

On Sunday, Mayor Bob Buckhorn kicked off a campaign to rid central Tampa of blighted properties in neighborhoods near Seminole Heights.

Buckhorn directed the City of Tampa's Neighborhood Enhancement division to go block-by-block in north and central Tampa to eradicate eyesores in a code enforcement sweep over the next 30 days.

“Blight is a quality of life issue for the people living under what can be very challenging conditions in these neighborhoods," Buckhorn said in a city news release. “My direction to the Neighborhood Enhancement division is simple: be proactive and go after the worst of the worst.”

The move comes almost two weeks after deplorable conditions were found at a Seminole Heights property owned by Tampa Port Authority Chairman William A. Brown.

During the 30-day sweep, six inspectors will go out each day of the week to issue citations - fines for minor code violations - to violators, or a notice to appear before a county circuit court judge. After the first month, the program will be re-evaluated.

The areas that will be targeted in central and north Tampa over the next month include:

• Florida Avenue east to 22nd Street between Busch Boulevard and Linebaugh Avenue
• Central Avenue east to Florida Avenue between Bird Street and Sligh Avenue
• 50th Street east to 58th Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to I-4