TAMPA, Fla. — Padlocks on doors, boarded-up windows and vacant properties, some say, pose a threat to safety, property values and the overall welfare of the Ybor Heights community.

In search of solutions, the Ybor Neighborhood Association established the Vacant to Vibrant website, a think tank to generate community input.

Bobby Creighton, VP of the association, says homes along 28th Avenue and 9th Street are examples of the systemic vacancies, and has ideas of his own on how to alleviate the problem.

“We need to have estate planning so that people can pass down their property to people who are responsible and want to maintain,” he said.

Creighton also suggests updating local code enforcement laws.

“It’s very time-consuming. It takes long for action to be taken,” he said.

Creighton has been meeting with residents like Monet Izquierdo, who have been voicing their concerns.

Izquierdo was a first-time homeowner when she moved into Ybor Heights four years ago, but quickly became frustrated with a neighboring property that is vacant.

“It’s not even just an eyesore; it’s a safety concern. I will never feel comfortable having my daughter play in the front yard,” she said.

Izquierdo says things took a turn for the worse nearly a year ago.

“Since it’s a vacant house, we’ve been having a lot of issues with homelessness, drugs, prostitution, and it’s all circling around this vacant house,” she said.

Creighton says a third-party analysis is needed to study the problem and offer recommendations for how to align code enforcement, housing, economic development and historic preservation.

“It’s how can we get a better playbook to solve these problems,” he said.

Whether the root of the problem is an absent landlord, a property tied up in probate, or a home in disrepair, Creighton emphasises that transforming these spaces from vacant to vibrant is not a one-size-fits-all process.