“The city doesn’t care about anything that goes on south of Manatee Avenue,” Holmes Beach resident George Reuss said. “Nothing’s ever done.”
Reuss and some other Avenue C residents, including Edna Erven, are concerned about construction negatively impacting residents.
“It’s a perfect storm,” said JT Thomas, Holmes Beach code enforcement officer.
The city issued building permits to four projects on the narrow street. Construction began around the same time on all four projects, following behind three other construction projects. For more than three months, residents have dealt with construction and the accompanying traffic on Avenue C.
As of Feb. 11, there were two home remodels, one pool construction and one commercial construction project in the 2000 and 3000 blocks of Avenue C.
Thomas told Reuss Feb. 11 the city is putting measures in place to prevent such issues in the future, but there is little to be done now after permits have been issued.
“As long as they have a valid building permit and there are no violations, I can’t stop what they’re doing,” Thomas said. He said the city will stagger the release of building permits in the future to reduce impact on neighbors.
“We’re going to start listening a lot more and not handing out building permits like lottery tickets,” Thomas said. “These people have every right to be upset.”
“Water sits on the street all the time,” Reuss said, pointing Feb. 10 to water standing on stormwater drains.
“Where does the water go?” Reuss asked. “It has no place to go here.”
Thomas, who visited the area Feb. 11, said the city is addressing the drainage issues and has plans to pave Avenue C.
Water has been pooling, sometimes ankle deep, for three months after tying homes to county utilities and a pool installation.
Reuss and Erven said they’ve had enough.
Erven photographed the construction and presented the images to the city seeking relief, including compensation for property damagea. She said she’s received no answer.
“It’s been a nightmare,” Erven said. “Nobody wants to do anything about it.”
Where Erven and Reuss live, near the intersection of Avenue C and 30th Street, half of the street was torn up to place sewage pipes. The pavement cannot be replaced until the street dries, leaving potholes and mud.
Building official Jim McGuinness stepped in to halt workers from draining a pool during construction at a nearby home renovation until the street is repaved.
Holmes Beach Commissioner Pat Morton brought the issue to the commission’s attention during a Feb. 9 meeting after hearing from Erven.
“It’s a total mess-up,” Morton said. He asked McGuinness to monitor the number of permits issued in an area.
City engineer Lynn Burnett also responded, adding that inclement weather and multiple construction projects were more than the drainage system on Avenue C could accommodate.