HAINES CITY TO BUY PROPERTY SEIZED BY POLICE DEPARTMENT

Officers Had Made Many Arrests At Site Of Rooming House, Single-Family
Home

HAINES CITY -- City commissioners approved buying a piece of property
the city had taken control of last year because of illegal drug activity.

The Haines City Police Department took over the property at 1102 Ave.
G after making numerous drug arrests there. State laws allow a city to
seize property where repeated criminal activity occurs.

At the meeting Thursday night, which was held at the community center
because of construction work on the commission chambers at City Hall,
commissioners agreed to buy the land, which is being foreclosed on,
for $25,892.

Police Chief Morris West told the commissioners that the property has
two buildings on it, a rooming house building that faces Martin Luther
King Jr. Way and a single-family home at 1102 Ave. G.

"I think it will be a win-win for the city and for the Police
Department because it is one of our problem areas," West Said. "It
would be great if we could bulldoze it and put a fence around it and
then we can enforce the laws because it will belong to the city."

The rooming house was a known area for illegal drug deals and was a
place people would gather and would sometimes heckle police officers.

Police officers could not force them to move off private property
unless they were seen breaking the law.

Mayor Horace West said he would like to see the lot remain vacant once
the city buys it.

"In my personal opinion, if we sell it we will probably be right back
where we are now," the mayor said.

City Manager Ann Toney-Deal said the city will buy the land then come
back to the commission at the Nov. 2 meeting to discuss the cost to
demolish the two buildings.

In other business, city Finance Director Donald Carter told the
commission that work is almost completed on the new city Web site.

Toney-Deal said she hoped to have the Web site debut at the same time
as the new commission chambers. The chambers, which are being
renovated, are supposed to be completed by the Nov. 2 meeting.

Carter said the Web site has scrolling pictures of the city and there
will also be a section where the latest news will scroll on the page
as well.

In a unanimous vote, the commission also approved on final reading the
annexation of the Diamondback Golf Course, which is on County Road
544, as well as the annexation of land south of CR 544 and east of
Bannon Island Road. Both are voluntary annexations.

The commission also approved a bid for $29,900 to dismantle and tear
down the elevated water tank that is next to the Fire Department on
North 10th Street.

The water tank, which was used to provide water system pressure to the
area, is no longer needed. An inspection of the tank showed that it is
unstable and is in need of costly repairs.