Atlantic Beach crackdown targets Mayport Road

Last modified 6/27/2008 - 3:30 pm
Originally created 062808
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The city is vowing to clean up the corridor and reduce crime in the area.

By DREW DIXON, Shorelines

ATLANTIC BEACH - With a dilapidated shack just west of her home and drugs and prostitution in the apartments to her east, Sarah Thomas has seen crime waves come and crime waves go.

While sweeping the driveway of her modest Stanley Road home Wednesday, the 80-year-old was glad to hear that Atlantic Beach is cracking down on code violations in the neighborhoods off Mayport Road. The effort is meant to clean up the corridor and reduce crime.

"I'm sure glad of it," Thomas said of the city's new clean-up initiative. "They need to get this place cleaned up. I'm sick of it."

Dale Hatfield, the city's new community redevelopment coordinator, knows Thomas's misery. He was a street beat police officer before the city appointed him in April to the post of revitalizing the Mayport Road area.

"That's a shame," Hatfield said as Thomas told him about the neighborhood. "But we're going to get rid of some of that mess for you."

Reassured, Thomas was thankful for his commitment. "Well, all right," she said in her soft voice.

That's the general reaction of many residents and business owners along the Mayport Road corridor. Thomas's home is just a half block east of the Road.

Hatfield said he's already spoken with the owner of the boarded-up, dilapidated home on Mayport Road, which has turned into a crack house and is a known den for prostitutes. The owner has pledged to demolish the structure within 90 days, he said.

In the few weeks since accepting his new job, Hatfield has already put homeowners and business owners along Mayport Road on notice that the city is getting rid of the blight that has plagued the area for years.

While the $5 million Mayport Road improvement project will help, Hatfield said that's not going to be enough.

He has already contacted about 150 property owners about code and zoning violations and he's dusting off old city ordinances that haven't been enforced for years.

One key ordinance that was adopted about five years ago, and has never been enforced, seeks to eliminate chain link fences along Mayport Road. Hatfield said he has already informed about two dozen property owners that they have to remove their chain link fences on Mayport Road and replace them with more decorative fencing.

He has also started enforcing an ordinance that prohibits store fronts from being covered in signs, like what is often seen at convenience stores or other quick-stop shops.

In addition, Hatfield is helping the city draft an ordinance that would let code enforcers enter private structures to inspect for zoning violations, especially at rental units. Currently, they can't enter private buildings. But the former officer has seen squalor conditions over the years in many of the buildings he's entered with search warrants.

"Lights are falling down, there are holes in the ceiling and they can't go anywhere else," Hatfield said. "We want to have a safe place for people to live. All we're asking is that they come up to code."

The new proposals are still being drafted and it's not clear when they will be finalized, he said.

Meanwhile, the enforcement of existing ordinances is already getting attention.

"I think they're doing a great job," said Marlo Gelico, general manager of the Comfort Inn motel at 2401 Mayport Road. "I'd prefer more tourists to come down to this area. If they make it a nice place to look at, more people will come here."

Thomas agreed, saying the overhaul of the Mayport Road area is long overdue.

"Ain't it the truth? I'm just so tired of it. It just needs a little work," Thomas said.

She said she takes pride in keeping her yard clean and nice, but the surrounding area has slipped over the years and she has witnessed crimes outside her home.

While many welcome the city's efforts to clean up the blight along Mayport Road, there are skeptics and critics.

"They go way too far," said Romeo Joudi, owner of Romeo's Food Store at 1211 Mayport Road. Joudi's shop has been a target for the sign ordinance and he's complied with Hatfield's request to remove most of the signs from the front window of the store.

Joudi said it hasn't been good for the store. "It's ridiculous and it's hurting our business.

"They don't want us to put up cigarette signs any more and cigarette prices are vital to our business," said Joudi. "They want me to take down my neon sign for my ATM machine."

Joudi said his business is one of the few that has been targeted by Hatfield's enforcement. But Hatfield said he has contacted all the businesses on Mayport Road that are violating the sign ordinance. It's just that not all have complied.

Violators who don't comply could face fines of $250 a day.

He said he's giving most businesses and private property owners a grace period and he points out he's only now enforcing codes that have been dormant for years.

Still, others are worried the city is overreaching on the seemingly impossible task of cleaning up Mayport Road.

Michael Hoffmann lives west of Mayport Road in a neighborhood that has complained for years that the city has ignored many of their civic issues.

In a commission meeting Monday night, Hoffmann gave Hatfield credit for helping to reduce noise in areas near Mayport Road. But Hoffmann is skeptical about enforcing other residential zoning regulations, such as preventing boats in driveways.

"I don't think it's fair and I don't think it's going to fly. What's been suggested in terms of zoning and revisiting this whole thing about boats and trailers and work trucks, it's not going to fly on the west side," Hoffmann said.

Hatfield said he understands the skepticism will persist. While he has received lots of pats on the back since taking the new job, he's also seen people cringe as they half-heartedly wished him good luck.

He is already trying to organize a landlord association and is holding a second Mayport Road "stakeholders" meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the City Commission chambers at City Hall, 800 Seminole Road. Business owners and property owners are encouraged to come and air their concerns.

"It's been mixed," Hatfield said of the reaction to his efforts. "Some folks are for it. Other folks kind of don't care and other folks don't think we should be doing things like that.

"I just want to keep going to them," Hatfield said. "I want people to understand that we're not going to go in there to take a white glove and go down the wall to see if it's dirty. It's just to make sure your facility is up to code and it's liveable. It would give people a better quality of life. It would give them a better outlook on where they live and it would give them pride about where they live."

Drew Dixon can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6313