The city of Tampa is destroying more than 50 blighted houses that have been deemed uninhabitable.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said the demolition is a revitalization effort to improve the quality of life for Sulphur Springs residents.
Buckhorn personally demolished the first of the 51 homes on Tuesday. He said city crews will demolish the other vacant homes over the next six months.
Residents said they are happy the blighted homes are being removed.
"They’re coming down now, which is a great move for the city," resident Eric Green said. "That means some new houses will come up and people when they have something nice they will take care of it."
Resident Reeshemah McCoy said she's optimistic the demolition will improve the neighborhood.
"I’m glad to see that something’s going to be done about it," she said. "Now with the ground being leveled it could bring the developers in for a better neighborhood."
Buckhorn said abandoned houses are like a cancer in a neighborhood, and they become magnets for drugs, gangs and prostitution, while devaluing all of the adjacent properties.
The cost to demolish each home is $5,500.