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Woman Told To Clean Up Land

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By KATHY STEELE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 13, 2008

Updated: 02/11/2008 09:55 pm

SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - A hearing master has ordered a cleanup at a residential property that code enforcement officials say gets more complaints than any other in the neighborhood.

If the cleanup isn't completed by March 12, Persephone Canty could face daily fines of $200 until the work is finished. The property, 1230 E. Mohawk Ave., was cited for having junk and debris, overgrowth and a broken awning, and for being a public nuisance.

At a public hearing Feb. 6, code enforcement officer Kristin MacRae said the property, which includes a main house and a smaller house in the rear, is a "health hazard."

"I believe someone is living back there," she said of the smaller house. "I've been told that by neighbors who see people coming and going."
Canty said no one lives in the smaller house, which doesn't have electricity or water, although she recently found people inside.

"I went there and threw them out," said Canty, who does not live on the property.

After the hearing, Canty said her son lives in the main house.
MacRae said Canty told her that if she wanted the property cleaned up MacRae would have to do it.

"I don't think I said that," Canty told hearing master Joseph Citro.

Canty, who is an independent newspaper carrier for The Tampa Tribune, pleaded guilty and said she would do the cleanup. But she denied the property is as bad as code enforcement describes it.

"It just needs mowing," she said.

Code enforcement records show the property has been cited for violations since the 1990s. Since 2005, Canty has been in criminal court several times for violations at the Mohawk address and a property at 5907 N. 15th St.

Court records show the cases were dismissed, and code enforcement records show the cases were closed after Canty corrected problems.

In the current case, Canty said she had to wait for an insurance check before clearing away a tree that fell on the main house.

"That's why I was unable to repair the awning," she said.

"The neighbors are seriously upset," said Susan Long, president of the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association. "We'd appreciate it getting cleaned up this time."
Canty also pleaded guilty to code violations at her homesteaded property, 1305 E. Sligh Ave. Code enforcement officials said there was an inoperable van and a fallen tree.
Canty said the van is gone, and the tree would be cleared in a couple of days.

Citro gave her 15 days to comply or face fines of $75 a day.

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 835-2103 or ksteele@tampatrib.com.

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