Tampa to create registry of foreclosed properties

The house is enveloped by a jungle of tall grass and weeds. Garbage is piled up next to several overflowing trash cans, attracting hordes of rats and insects.

Neighbors call city hall to complain. A code enforcement officer comes out and inspects the property, but because it is being foreclosed on, it's not clear who is responsible.

A few months go by. Then a year. Nothing gets done. Eventually, the city has to hire landscapers to clean up the derelict property and taxpayers get stuck with the bill.

In Tampa, which has reported more than 8,000 foreclosed properties in the past six months alone, it has become a familiar story in many of the city's neighborhoods.

To combat the problem, city officials want to employ a tool that has been used in other Florida cities to keep foreclosed properties safe, secure and presentable: a registry.

A proposed ordinance, set for a vote by the city council Thursday, would require property owners, whether a bank or other lending institution, to register the property with the city within 10 days of filing for foreclosure proceedings and pay a yet-to-be-determined fee.

City officials said the intent is to hold banks, mortgage firms and other foreclosed property owners responsible for the condition of their homes.

"We need to be able to hold these property owners accountable," said Councilman Tom Scott, who proposed the registry. "It's become a very serious problem, citywide."

A previous vote by council members on the proposed registry passed unanimously. One final vote is needed to put it on the city's books.

Foreclosed properties must be maintained, secure and have no code violations. The registry will allow the city to track down owners and notify them of any problems.

If they don't fix the problems, the city's code enforcement department will fine the owner. Fines will range from $75 for the first offense to upwards of $450. And if that fails, the city would clean up the property and place a lien on it to recoup those costs.

Jake Slater, the city's director of code enforcement, supports the creation of the registry and said it will allow his officers the "tools they need" to clean up dilapidated properties.

"It's alarming," Slater said. "The numbers of foreclosed properties is truly unbelievable."

Several Florida cities, including Coral Springs and North Lauderdale, have created registries and charge banks a fee to report properties and assist with maintenance.

Coral Springs' program started in July 2008. The city charges $150 per registration and has more than 1,500 properties on its list. North Lauderdale, which charges $50, began its program in June 2008. To date, more than 200 properties have been registered.

"It's been extremely successful," said Ken Maroney, chief code enforcement officer for Coral Springs. "We don't want to have to cut lawns and drain pools. This gives us local control over the foreclosed properties, most of which are owned by out-of-state banks."

Maroney said many banks have since hired local property maintenance companies to look after the foreclosed homes so the city doesn't have to devote its resources.

"The banks are on board with it," he said. "They don't want liens on these properties."

Hillsborough County approved a similar foreclosure registry in early September and did not start until Nov. 2. To date, they have registered 40 properties that have been foreclosed on since then.

The Florida legislature considered several proposals for a statewide foreclosure registry during its spring session, but the bills didn't make it to the House or Senate floors for a vote.

The city council meets at 9 a.m. in city hall at 315 E. Kennedy Blvd. in downtown.