DADE CITY — Pasco commissioners are expected to vote in September on a new ordinance that could allow jailing property owners for refusing to repair or demolish their blighted commercial buildings.
The proposed ordinance would extend property maintenance standards already in place for housing to commercial and industrial buildings.
Senior Assistant County Attorney Kristi Sims worked closely with Commissioners Mike Moore and Kathryn Starkey to come up with a list of policies meant to eliminate eyesores on the county’s main roads.
The rules require property owners to keep their buildings painted, their doors and windows secure and their grass mowed. Signs and awnings must be maintained, too. Broken windows and doors may be boarded up with plywood for no more than 30 days — after that the owner would be required to repair the opening.
– See more at: http://www.suncoastnews.com/su/list/news-pasco/crackdown-on-blight-may-mean-jail-time-for-pasco-owners-20150814/#sthash.MzwH1w6L.dpuf