CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A Padre Island couple has been battling an overgrown vacant lot next to their home for 20 year. The residents say there is no regular maintenance from the private property owner.
Larry and Cathy Demalade, who live on Tesori Drive near Whitecap Boulevard, say the privately-owned lot adjacent to their property has only been mowed about every three years since they moved to the area two decades ago.
"We've been here 20 years. No one's maintained this since we've been here," Larry Demalade said.
The last time the grass was cut was approximately two years ago, according to the couple. Some of the overgrowth has now reached head-high levels.
"It's at least here to me or over my head," Larry Demalade said.
Cathy Demalade describes the property as an eyesore that has created safety concerns for their yard.
"There's snakes. I saw one and it was very scary. I don't even like to take the trash out. Back in the back, there's possums in there that get in our yard. We have fig trees and they just tear up the figs," Cathy Demalade said.
The couple has made multiple attempts to contact the property owner directly, but those efforts have been unsuccessful.
"He doesn't want to talk about it, he doesn't want to mow it, he doesn't want to sell it," Larry Demalade said.
After failing to reach the owner, the Demalades contacted the city's development services department for assistance. However, they were told the city lacks funding for property maintenance on the island.
"They say they have no more funds to mow on the island," Cathy Demalade said.
The city confirmed it has no abatement program for the 2025/2026 current fiscal year, which began October 1, meaning city workers cannot take care of private properties like this. A spokesperson for the city's code compliance office said the department will continue addressing reported code violations throughout the city.
Full statement:
I can advise that Code Compliance does not have an abatement program for this fiscal year.
Code Compliance will continue to address reported or observed City Code violation. Property owners will be sent a notice of violation that explains the violation, how the property can be brought into compliance, and provided with contact information should the owner have questions or want to further discuss the matter. Code Compliance officers will issue citations if the property is found to remain non-compliant.
When asked about the number of inspections and citations issued for this specific property, the city spokesperson directed inquiries to be submitted through an open records request.
The property owner's name was identified through public records, but KRIS6 News could not find a phone number to contact them.
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