Dirty Pools Still A Problem

 Believe it or not, things are actually looking better around this Palm Beach Gardens house.

"The lawn is better. They keep up the lawn so it's not growing over the house. But the house it self needs to come down", says Palm Beach Gardens neighbor Jennifer Furman.  

Today the back yard on Balsum Drive is trimmed.  And while the lawn might look better the pool is just as bad, maybe worse than it was last fall.

Last September, the yard, the grass, the weeds, and the brush looked like it was going to swallow the house. The city of Palm Beach Gardens has been keeping up the property as best they can. Neighbors say the owner, just walked away last summer. And while it's an improvement, it's not what Jennifer Furman wants to see.

"The majority of the families here keep their houses in somewhat of a respectable condition. With the exception of this one falling down. It's disappointing, it's embarrassing a little bit when people come over to visit", says Furman.

 "It's a growing problem", said David Reyes, Palm Beach Gardens Code Enforcement supervisor talking to us last year. That's when the city first started to deal with the increasing number of problematic pools behind foreclosed or abandoned houses. They are Possible sources of E. Coli. Bacteria and a breeding ground for mosquitoes. They can spread viruses like West Nile and encephalitis. And while the problem with pools like this one isn't getting any better. The city of Palm Beach Gardens is using new grant money to clean up some of the properties and some of the pools...relief for neighbors.

"I'm glad that the city is doing what it can. I hope the process moves forward, says neighbor Jerry Brownlee.  Just today, the city was out in this neighborhood using some of that grant money from the Solid Waste Authority to paint one of the house near here.

People say they are happy for any improvements to these abandoned houses.