NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion C Palm Beach CountyWest Palm Beach

Actions

City stepping in to deal with rat infestation downtown

Posted at 10:37 AM, Aug 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-08-19 10:37:07-04

On the 500 block of Evernia you'll find a house that's hard to miss.

"You see nice brand new buildings and then you see that," Catherine Solo said.

Solo is the property manager of a building on the 500 block. She describes the abandoned home next to her property as her own personal nightmare.

"If you look closely you know you can actually see the holes that were chewed through the wood side of the house," Solo said.

She calls it an escape route for dozens of rats. A cellphone video shows around a dozen rats running around the parking lot of the building she manages.

"There's dozens of rats crossing into these buildings every day," Solo said.

She says the area has been dealing with a rat infestation for months. After almost a dozen pest control visits she says the problem isn't getting better.

"I've had several clients come in and mention hey that house really smells, hey there's rodents coming from the house," Derek Bishop said.

Bishop is the owner of the gym next door. He says the condition of that property is hurting his business.

"That house is really an eyesore and it's turning people away," he said.

We reached out to code enforcement and they confirmed that rats are coming from the home. They said they have notified the owner that the building is in violation. We reached out to the owner of the home who owns other property in the area but have not heard back.

"To have that kind of neglect and not care about the other businesses next door to you it just isn't right," Solo said.

Code Enforcement says the owner of the home has been served. A hearing to get the property up to code has been scheduled for September 5th.