Nuisance Law in Madeira Beach: What's Your Opinion?

A new ordinance in Madeira Beach holds landlords accountible for "chronic nuisance" activities of their tenants.

The new law would impose strict fines on landlords for everything from prostitution and gang activity to loitering and underage drinking at their properties. The city held a free training seminar earlier this week to walk landlords through the new rules.

"The idea is it not to be a police state," Mayor Travis Palladeno told ABC Action News. "The idea is to work together with landlords. City and government and property owners working together to make it a better community for everybody." 

Other communities, including Redington Shores, are considering similar nuisance laws.

Patch asked readers last week what they thought of the nuisance ordinance. Here's what some of them had to say:

billy lawrence: "SOUNDS LIKE THESE CITIES ONLY WANT 90 YEAR OLDS THAT ARE CONFINED BY A WHEELCHAIR AND CANNOT SPEAK VERY LOUDLY SHAME ON THESE CITIES."

Michael: "I disagree, the ordinance should be for any homeowner or tenants, landlords at times get snowed with the application process and later find out that the tenant is not what he/she said they were. Even when landlords screen them , it happens. Have a clause in the ordinance that it can apply to a repeated offender landlord who is classified as a slum lord."

What do you think? Are chronic nuisance laws a good idea? Post a comment below and join the conversation.

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