Florence Families Deal With Vacant Home, Bug Infestation

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – An east Florence neighborhood is being overrun with pests.  According to those living there, the bugs are coming from a vacant home and they need something done about it.

For eight months, Amanda Harrison and her family have been in a fight, trying to rid their North Main Street home in Florence of an infestation she believes is coming from a home next door.

“Oh my gosh, when the house became vacant, all the bugs ran to our home, across the street, four and five houses down the street from us,” said Harrison.

The last straw came just a few days ago. 

“I was making up my daughter’s bed, and a roach crawled across her pillow, and that was it for me,” said Harrison.

Harrison and her neighbors are joining forces to get something done about the vacant home.  They say the home is infested with roaches and other bugs on the inside.   

Alex Boyd lives across the street, and says she has pest control at her house weekly.  “Bugs, bugs everywhere, and cockroaches mostly.   It’s just an eyesore,” said Boyd.

These neighbors want the home condemned and torn down and have signed a petition to get something done.

“It’s just a nuisance,” said Harrison.  “There are windows that are boarded up, the grass always needs to be cut. It’s an eyesore to not only myself, but everyone else.”

Harrison says she contacted the Alabama Department of Health, but they were unable to do anything.

She is now in contact with the Florence Building Department to see if city ordinances can take care of their problem.

The Harrisons say they spent more than $1,000 for pest control services in the last few months.

Florence Building Department personnel say once they receive a complaint on a property, they will investigate the issues being raised and try to resolve them.