By SHANNON BEHNKEN The Tampa Tribune
Published: Oct 21, 2007
TAMPA – A grandmother strolls behind two toddlers navigating their tricycles down a sidewalk in Carriage Pointe, a new subdivision in Gibsonton.
They pass rows of two-story pastel homes with picture-book lawns and identical black-iron mailboxes. A neighbor waves as he pulls weeds out of his front yard.
One street over, the scenery is vastly different.
Vacant homes with “For Sale” signs on lawns and “For Rent” signs taped to windows line the block. Weeds are knee-high, and moldy newspapers, some dating back to June, are piled high on doorsteps.
Neighbors have vanished, some loading moving vans in the middle of the night. The homes are products of a mortgage and foreclosure wave leaving a lasting imprint on the Bay area. New neighborhoods such as Carriage Pointe, where speculators bought homes several at a clip and homeowners stretched their budgets with creative financing, are particularly hard-hit.
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http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBF2X7Z08F.html
