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Dilapidated House Faces Demolition

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By LAURA KINSLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2008

DADE CITY - The city will demolish a nearly 70-year-old abandoned house where police found a woman's badly decomposed body in March.

The city already was considering demolishing the 440-square-foot house on Fifth Street, vacant since the mid-1990s, when police discovered the body of 44-year-old Penny L. Skipper, according to City Attorney Karla Owens.

Though the building was uninhabitable, owner Morris Peavey fought the city commission's decision this month to declare it unsafe and ready for demolition. In his written appeal, Peavey said his family had intended to demolish the house and build a new one on the property, north of downtown and close to River Road. Peavey's sister, Mamie Horne, bought two adjoining lots and secured a loan through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development to build the new house.

Pasco County wouldn't release the loan because Dade City had rezoned the property from residential to commercial use years ago. "I still stand by my opinions that my family has been denied the use of the property and that the city's actions are under code of law and, in fact, a taking," Peavey wrote.

Owens said the city is obligated to tear down the building because it presents a safety hazard. The building has an appraised value of about $2,400. Owens said it would cost about that much to demolish it and clear the lot.

"I understand his dilemma," Owens told the city commission. "He needs the building down. He can't fix up the house because the city rezoned it to commercial."

Peavey, who lives in a Miami nursing home, could not be reached for comment.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844 or lkinsler@tampatrib.com.

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