Pubdate: Thu, 22 Jun 2006 Source: Palm Beach Post, The (FL) Copyright: 2006 The Palm Beach Post Contact: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/333 Author: Teresa Lane, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) SEIZED HOUSES COULD BE USED TO RECRUIT TEACHERS PORT ST. LUCIE - City Councilman Christopher Cooper and St. Lucie County School Board member Judi Miller are hoping drug dealers' losses will turn to school teachers' riches if city officials succeed in seizing up to three dozen homes used as marijuana farms. The city is in the early stages of trying to seize the first six homes, and Miller said she was intrigued when a resident called, asking whether the homes could be used to recruit some of the 400 new teachers the district will need to accommodate rising enrollment this fall. More local news Cooper passed the question on to City Attorney Roger Orr. Orr's assistant, Gabrielle Taylor, said she's not sure what the city's long- term plans are for the homes but said any uses would have to jibe with state law, which allows a seizing agency to retain the illicitly used property or to trade or transfer it to any public or nonprofit organization. Cooper and Miller figure that includes recruiting teachers, who increasingly are finding it unaffordable to buy or rent homes in burgeoning St. Lucie County, which enjoyed a 37.8 percent rise in property value overall last year. In the cities of Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, the value hike was even greater. "I've talked it over with our employees, and they agree it sounds like a wonderful idea," Miller said. "This could be a win-win for the city and new teachers, and education in general." Under state law, the city would have to pay off liens or mortgages on the property before using it or selling to others. Cooper said teachers could assume existing mortgages or take out new ones to satisfy the liens, allowing them to pay below-market price for the homes. Because many of the homes have been altered without building permits to manipulate electrical wiring and interior walls, the teachers also might have to assume the cost of making repairs, Cooper said. A similar proposal to provide workforce housing for teachers on West Virginia Drive failed because that would have required the city or buyers to move the houses away from the road, which is being widened, officials said. The newer proposal sounds more inviting, Miller agreed. "Anything like this we can do to recruit teachers, I think we should try," Miller said. "Because of our growth, we need teachers and they need housing." - --- MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman