Residents of the Village of El Santiago are concerned about an abandoned home in their neighborhood.
The house is located 2555 Caribe Drive.
Neighbor Bob Williamson complained about the problem on Friday morning to Community Development District 2 supervisors.
He said the house has been abandoned since the owner died.
He said the home was heavily mortgaged. While the owner was still alive he had two dogs and two cats in the home and the carpeting is heavily soiled. Williamson said the man was a heavy smoker and the walls are covered from years of cigarettes.
“The swimming pool in the backyard looks like the black lagoon,” he added.
But as so many homeowners in The Villages have discovered, there are no easy answers when a home is abandoned. Villages-News.com correspondent Marv Balousek delved into the problem in 2014 in a two-part series. You can read about it here at Part 1 and Part 2.
Williamson and his neighbors did receive some sympathy from the CDD 2 board chairman.
“It is a very difficult situation,” said Chairman John Blum.
A new member of the CDD 2 supervisors was likewise supportive.
“A terrible injustice for the neighbors,” said Bill Schikora, who was appointed to the board late last year.