Exh 3AAGENDA ITEM #3A
OCTOBER 14, 2002
October 8, 2002
MEMORANDUM
TO: The Honorable Mayor
and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Jim Hans
City anager
SUBJECT: Follow-u eport
Drug Arrests in Mobile Home Parks; A question was raised at the last~City Commission
meeting about the authority under State and Federal Law for local police departments to seize
property in mobile home parks where repeated drug arrests have been made. Attached for your
information is a memo from David Thompson dated 9/27/02 addressing this question and
describing the level of cooperation that the Atlantic Beach Police Department has received from
the manager at the City's one mobile home park.
Mailing List for Tideviews Newsletter/Hurricane Re-entry Passes; A couple of citizens
complained at the last meeting that they had not received their hurricane re-entry passes in the
mail. Staff checked into the problem and found the same issue that has come up in the mailing
of the Tideviews newsletter. The Tideviews Newsletter is sent to people living in several Post ~ .
Office carrier routes, but 75-80 people have been excluded because most of their routes are not .
in the City limits. .The City Clerk's office has maintained a separate listing of addresses that are
not included in the normal City routes so that separate mailings can be made. The Police
Department would use this separate list maintained by the City Clerk to mail out the remaining
hurricane re-entry passes.
AGENDA ITEIVI #3A
OCTOBER 14, 2002
A tlan tic Beach
P olic e De partment
Memo
To: Jim Hanson, City Manager
From: David E. Thompson, Chief of Police/DPS
CC:
Date: 9!27/2002
Re: Mobile Home Paris
At the September 23, 2002 City Commission meeting, a question was asked relative to repeated
violations of drug laws in mobile home parks, and the feasibility of seizing the property under state or
federal law.
The City of Atlantic Beach has seized real property in the past for drug violations. There are provisions
in state and federal law that allow for the seizure of real property if the property is being used for illegal
drug violations, and the owner is knowingly and willfully participating or allowing it to continue. There
are protections for owners who are not aware of the violations, and for owners who have made a good
faith effort to eliminate the illegal activity.
The only mobile home parkin Atlantic Beach is Singleton's Mobile Home Park at 120 Mayport Road. It
provides low income lodging for individuals and families. Many of the residents are "down on their luck"
and need a place to live while they put their lives in order. Most of the residents are poor, but honest
citizens.
The manager of the park assists a number of social service agencies in providing low income housing.
On a number of occasions, I have referred battered wives, abandoned families, and others who "need
a break" to Singleton's Mobile Home Paris. The manager works with the people to find a way to provide
temporary or long term housing for people in need.
Some of the people are "down on the luck" as a result of drug and/or alcohol dependencies. And,
sometimes these people "backslide" back to their old addictions. When that happens, they create a
problem for the neighborhood and the police. For this reason, we will find a higher incidence of street
level drug abuse and crime in Singleton's Mobile Home Park, than we will find in more affluent areas.
Singleton's manager has consistently worked in a positive relationship with the police. She has never
hesitated to evict tenants who were creating problems, and she has often provided information to the
police when illegal conduct was suspected. I don't believe that she has ever hesitated to provide the
police with her complete and total cooperation.
Based on this information, it is my opinion that there is no basis for any initiative to seize the property.