The Community Development District 1 Board of Supervisors rendered a decision Friday morning on a request to forgive $1,050 in fines that were to be assessed on a problematic property in the Village of Palo Alto.
The home at 1902 Antonia Place had become the scourge of the neighborhood. The cleanup began in June when the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team raided the house and hauled away five people on drug charges.
That evening, the home’s owner, Thomas Dugan, was put on a plane to Pennsylvania.
A nephew is now caring for Dugan, who is elderly and suffering from a variety of health issues.
Neighbor Don Doggett said Dugan’s niece had moved into the house and had invited in some unsavory characters.
“She held strong persuasive powers over her Uncle Tom,” Doggett said.
Dugan’s nephew, now acting as his uncle’s power of attorney, wrote a letter to the CDD 1 supervisors asking that the fines be forgiven due to the extraordinary circumstances in this case.
Doggett and other neighbors have gone in and cleaned up the property, hauling out multiple bags of garbage.
“The house is 100 percent cleaned out, except for the bugs and roaches,” Doggett said.
He asked the board to forgive the fines and promised that he and the neighbors would ensure the home remains in compliance.
He said a reverse mortgage company should be taking over the property in 30 to 90 days.
“I would like to thank you and your neighbors for your outstanding generosity,” said CDD 1 Supervisor Kathy Porter.
Supervisor Paul Sykes made a motion to forgive the fines.
“It’s been solved and that’s what we were after,” he said.
The motion received unanimous approval.