The famous “Blue House”, which withstood numerous hurricanes in Florida, may soon be demolished
According to Zillow, the price of the house has dropped to $575,000. The note reads, “Unfortunately, the county is requesting the demolition of the current home.”
VILANO BEACH, Florida. The infamous blue house on Vilano Beach has survived many hurricanes and storms and is still standing. It used to have a garage and driveway, but years of storms have changed its structure. It is currently up for sale on Zillow and the ad says the county is requesting it be demolished.
St. John’s County Commissioner Henry Dean says the house is in danger.
“We have severe erosion, severe erosion all along the Coastal Highway,” Dean said. “We actually had two 500 year storms in the 11 months between Matthew and Irma, so it was a challenge for all of us to keep our beaches healthy.”
According to Zillow, the house was listed for sale in March for $1,199,000. Several suggestions were made, but nothing seems to have caught on. In May, the price of the house dropped significantly to $575,000. At the same time, the note says: “Unfortunately, the county requires the demolition of the current house.”
First Coast News reached out to St. Johns County Code Enforcement but received no response Tuesday. James Brown of St. Augustine Realty says the landlord asked him not to talk about the details, but he said the future of the home was discussed at a county meeting a few months ago.
In February, St. John’s County law enforcement officials gave the owner two options: repair the home and maintain it to code, or demolish it. The homeowner decided to make repairs, but supposedly it did not happen. Dean says he didn’t know anything about the plans to demolish the house.
“It is entirely up to the homeowner to determine what he needs to protect, reinforce or strengthen his foundation and his protective dams. If any home is in great danger, the enforcement of the code is to condemn that home and make sure no one occupies it for fear of danger, Dean said.
First Coast News also contacted the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. It states: “The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has not received an application or any other supporting material for the demolition of this structure.”
