Driving through the tranquil streets of Shore Acres, Florida, one is immediately struck by the idyllic beauty of this coastal neighborhood at the eastern edge of St. Petersburg.

Standing proud in rows of perfectly mowed lawns, bright white homes are basking in the sun of a peaceful late fall morning, the water of the nearby canal gleaming invitingly.

But soon a troubling pattern starts to emerge: one in every few homes has a porta potty outside, the tell-tale sign of construction works going on inside. One boasts a for-sale sign on the front lawn. Another is eerily quiet and apparently abandoned, the trees framing the front door drooping with neglect and the windows boarded up.

These are what the locals call “zombie homes”: properties left in a hurry—sometimes regretfully so—by the prev

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