Owners exploit 'demolition by neglect' — fines cheaper than repair

Owners of historically designated buildings can deliberately let them deteriorate until they collapse or become safety hazards, then demolish them legally — a practice called 'demolition by neglect.' Code enforcement officers, not preservation commissions, typically make the final call on whether a building is a safety hazard, and they almost always order demolition rather than repair. In January 2024, the 122-year-old DuPuis Medical Office in Miami's Little Haiti — a protected historic site since 1985 — was demolished after the city ordered emergency teardown when the roof collapsed, despite 39 years of designated protection. The real pain: this makes historic designation effectively meaningless if an owner is patient enough. Neighborhoods lose irreplaceable buildings, and the precedent teaches other owners that neglect is a viable exit strategy from preservation obligations. The structural cause: most municipalities lack minimum maintenance ordinances with real teeth, fines for neglect are trivially small compared to redevelopment profits, and the legal burden of proving 'intentional' neglect is nearly impossible to meet. Only a handful of cities (Salt Lake City proposed one in 2024) have penalties like prohibiting redevelopment for 25 years after illegal demolition.