PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A local community has been trying to get rid of what they consider an eyesore in their neighborhood for over a year, but progress has been at a stand-still.
Some of those residents contacted ABC Action News with complaints about the pause.
It's all happening in a community called the Historic Roser Park in St. Petersburg, a quaint community.
"This neighborhood is awesome. I mean, it's a historic neighborhood in St. Pete where there's a lot of character and a lot of history here," said Drew Slater, who lives in the neighborhood.
Pride for the neighborhood is clear and flags supporting the Historic Roser Park flow in the wind.
"It's a really lovely community, and we all really love the neighborhood," said Domenico Pontoriero, President of the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association.
The neighborhood takes people back almost a century in time, with brick roads that reflect the neighborhood's creation back in the 1920's.
"It's quite a scene…it's very unique," said Pontoriero.
But as you drive through the neighborhood, where the brick road meets dirt is an empty lot that has slowly become a point of contention.
"Mattresses, garbage, just like random cars parked there for days on end…and it's just kind of a mess sometimes," said Slater.
At the corner of 10th Avenue South and Jasmine Terrace, the city-owned lot is overgrown with grass… and Pontoriero said it's now an eyesore for residents.
"For a long time, it's been used as a dumping ground…and I'm not talking about candy wrappers and bottles. I'm talking about large appliances, ovens, water heaters, couches, beds, I mean, you name it," said Pontoriero.
The lot is currently owned by the city... and about a year ago, the community thought to transform the empty lot into an ocean-friendly garden.
"It also helps mitigate algae blooms, because we've been having that problem in St. Pete. It's really a win-win for the community and St. Pete as a whole so we thought it was a great solution," said Pontoriero.
The only issue is over the last year, a legal battle has been halting any progress on the project.
A resident who owns the property next to the empty lot has been trying to purchase it. That resident's attorney told ABC Action News he is open to an ocean-friendly garden if he can purchase the land.
The legal battle is centered around the boundary line and who should own the surplus land.
"Because of the lawsuit, its been a year now that we've been stalled on the project, which has been a huge problem because we've lost some of those partnerships and donors we worked so hard on," said Pontoriero.
According to court documents, a judge dismissed the lawsuit in April, but the resident's attorney is now trying to negotiate a settlement offer.
Legal Battle over vacant lot by ABC Action News on Scribd
Neighbors want a solution soon, and are working to regain some of the donors they've lost over the last year.
They hope the brick road on Jasmine Terrace will eventually lead to a garden that will flourish for generations.
"If we were able to put a garden together, I think it would be beautiful, I think it would make our neighborhood more attractive, and you can have kids learning what's going on there instead of just seeing debris and garbage," said Slater.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
