Thompson's Quarters in Indiantown to be torn down, replaced

INDIANTOWN, Fla. - They used to be housing for low-income families, but the alphabet and teddy bears at Thompson's Quarters eventually turned into beer bottles and condom wrappers.

The duplexes in the Booker Park neighborhood of Indiantown have been vacant for some time.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office says the empty homes became dens for drug dealing and prostitution, so the Sheriff's Office, Code Enforcement and the Community Redevelopment Agency got together to make the corner property a better place.

The buildings will be torn down next week.

Tyrone Sawyer has lived in Booker Park for more than 30 years.

He says he's glad to see the rundown buildings go and hopes the CRA builds something nice in their place.

"That's going to be real nice if they put something better," he says.

The CRA doesn't yet know what they'll do with the acre of land but it will likely be a mix of commercial and residential buildings.

Whatever ends up on the land, county planners say it will be better than Thompson's Quarters.

The crumbling buildings racked up more than a $1 million in liens and the property was in foreclosure.

Adrianna Molina,11, has a suggestion for what should replace the old apartments.

"They need to be down and build a pool!," she says.