The city of Lake Wales is focusing on reducing blighted areas.

  • Lake Wales demolishing abandoned homes
  • 14 buildings have been approved for demolition
  • City allocated $75,000 this fiscal year for the project

Fourteen buildings have been approved for demolition, according to code compliance officer Brian Nadeau. About half have already been torn down. Some will have to wait until next year.

“We only have so much money,” Nadeau said. “But every year we’d like to do some. There’s a lot of homes in Lake Wales that have been like this.”

An abandoned home on Druid Circle is one of the homes set to be torn down between March 3 -13.  People living next to it are pleased.

“We’ve killed hundreds of rats. Literally by the hundreds,” said Jimmy Johnson, who lives next door.

He said he’s also cut the grass.

Nadeau said the homeowner abandoned the home nearly 14 years ago after Hurricane Charlie in 2004.

“It’s kind of an eerie site. There’s photos on the walls. There’s plates and silverware on the counters. There’s pans on the stove,” Nadeau said.

“It looks like somebody just walked up and left one morning and just never returned.”

Neighbors said it’s made their street look bad ever since.

“When your neighbors’ yard looks like trash, your yard doesn’t look much better,” said Joe Walker, who is renting a home across the street.

Nadeau said the city allocated $75,000 this fiscal year toward demolishing vacant and abandoned buildings and homes.​