Guest column:Diane Flagg ... Blight Prevention Program

Diane Flagg

Collier County Code Enforcement Director

The future of the economy remains uncertain. One thing we do know; defaults on mortgages due to job loss, relocation, etc., continue. Consequently, the chance for blight continues to threaten our community.

The Collier County Code Enforcement Department works to keep our community a beautiful place to reside and a world renowned destination to visit. The Blight Prevention Program, initiated in November 2008, was developed by utilizing new and innovative methods to assure properties are maintained. It was recognized that the traditional code enforcement processes would be unsuccessful in the avalanche of foreclosures and mortgage defaults. The Blight Prevention Program focuses on addressing the health, safety and welfare issues of the community while stabilizing property values and property tax revenues.

There are many facets to Code Enforcement's Blight Prevention Program; however, it is based upon a three-pronged action plan: enlist the assistance of the community through the development of five Community Task Force Teams; develop a single point of contact with more than 100 banks to mitigate code violations; and develop multi-agency coordination plans to address a myriad of issues occurring as a result of property default or foreclosure.

With almost 24,000 lis pendens filed since January 2008 in Collier County, it was recognized that enlisting the assistance of our community members was critical to the success of maintaining a livable community free from blight. Five Community Task Force teams comprised of homeowners and civic association members, sheriff's deputies, Code Enforcement investigators, utilities staff, fire department personnel and other related agencies were formed. The Community Task Force teams hold monthly meetings to discuss neighborhood issues, conduct "vacant home sweeps" resulting in a "community caretaking" list to monitor vacant/foreclosed homes, "meet and greet" events and neighborhood "clean-up" events which offer the opportunity for community members to get rid of litter and debris in their neighborhood at no cost. More than 40 events annually are offered to the community.

The next prong of the action plan was the establishment of a single point of contact with more than 100 banking institutions of which only one percent is local. Code Enforcement foreclosure investigators were identified to also serve as the banking institutions' single point of contact. As code violations are identified on properties that are in default or foreclosure, the foreclosure investigator informs the bank representative of the specific actions needed to abate the code violation(s) accompanied by pictures of the property in violation. The bank representative is encouraged to employ local contractors to abate the code violations.

Once successfully abated, the Code Enforcement investigator provides an affidavit of compliance to the bank's representative and the bank pays the local contractor for the work. Through this aspect of the Blight Prevention Program, banking institutions have expended more than $2.6 million in Collier County to abate over 2,100 code violations since November 2008. This is an average of $16,000 per week expended by banking institutions and consequently minimizes the expenditure of taxpayers' funds to assure blight does not take hold in our community.

The last prong of the action plan entails the development of multi-agency coordination. Agencies involved in this coordination effort are the Foreclosure Task Force (FTF), the Economic Recovery Task Force (ERTF), the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR), and the Collier County Utilities Division. The Foreclosure Task Force is a grassroots, volunteer initiative that provides free foreclosure assistance workshops and coordination of resources and agencies for those community members facing foreclosure. The Economic Recovery Task Force (ERTF) is also a grassroots, volunteer initiative involving multiple agencies and individuals to investigate and implement immediate, short term, and potentially time-limited solutions for economic recovery in Collier County.

In Florida, all existing code violations, fines and liens go with the property and become the responsibility of the new owner when sold. The Naples Area Board of Realtors coordinated with Code Enforcement by revising the disclosure agreement to assure prospective buyers of real estate are informed about two resources before purchasing a property: Code Property Inspection and Code Lien Search. The inspection identifies code violations on a property and the lien search provides detailed property information regarding open code cases, accruing fines or liens on a property.

With more than 2,750 residential master meters in Collier County, the Collier County Utility Division also plays a role in agency coordination to ensure communities are provided water and sewer services when utilities may otherwise be terminated for non-payment of utility bills. A master meter is one meter that serves multiple community members. Although some community members may have paid their utility assessment to a condominium manager, the utilities' invoice may not have been paid which would result in a shut-off. When a master meter is pending shut-off due to non-payment, the Code Enforcement Department is contacted by the Utilities Division. The Code Enforcement foreclosure investigator contacts and achieves payment by a banking representative for payment of the outstanding invoice so that utility services are not interrupted to the condominium or master meter recipient.

Task force meeting information and reporting possible code violations can be made at www.colliergov.net/code or by calling Code Enforcement at 252-2440.