Imagine visiting a city and one of the first things you see is a building full of asbestos, flimsy panels, broken windows, and bad water leaks. Cocoa Beach city leaders say that’s the issue they’re facing and now they want to tear down what they call a dangerous eyesore.
The owners continue of the iconic and controversial Glass Bank Building continues to mount up fines for not fixing up the building.
The owners are being fined $200 a day for not bringing this building up to city code. The fines to date are $210,600.
The city attorney says the city is tired of inaction so he’s proposing that the city seek an injunction against the nuisance either forcing the Glass Bank Condominium Association to fix it up, or tear it down.
And if they won’t, then leaders are hoping a judge grants the city authority to demolish it.
City of Cocoa Beach Mayor Dave Netterstrom says the building, built in the 1960s, is falling apart and dangerous, plus he says it’s an eyesore. “It’s time, I mean the whole community, it’s just been like that for more than a decade, even when times were good nobody did anything with the building, so we’re tired of waiting and so as we promote Cocoa Beach, we’ve got to solve this problem.”
City leaders are concerned about safety, property values and a loss of redevelopment because of the deteriorating building.
If the commission signs off on the action, then the city attorney says he will file an injunction in October or November knowing full well, that the fight over the future of this building is far from over.