Kennett City council revokes provisional landlord license for Eddie Flores after unpaid utility shortfalls

The Kennett City Council voted to revoke the provisional landlord license of Eddie Flores after city staff told the council he had not cooperated with code enforcement and municipal utilities owed money tied to properties registered in his name.

Council members debated reports that Riley Cook had made progress on inspections while Flores had not engaged with staff. According to the presentation, “Last month, mister Flores owed the tenant water public works about $4,760,” and the city reported the balance grew to $6,389 and that crews had disconnected service on 10 properties for nonpayment. A city official added, “Every one of those dollars comes from our rate payers.”

Council members said the council had previously offered a two-week window to show progress; Flores made no demonstrable progress and staff said they were unable to reach him. A council member moved to revoke Flores’s provisional license; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote after members called for the motion to be carried. A speaker in the meeting summarized the practical effect: a suspended provisional license would mean the landlord could not legally collect rent while unlicensed.

The action followed presentation of documentation and messaging exchanges between code enforcement and Flores’s property managers that the council said showed a breakdown in cooperation. Staff noted that some tenants’ accounts may have been paid but that payments had not been recorded under the city utility accounts because services remained in the landlord’s name.

The council did not announce additional enforcement steps publicly at the meeting beyond the license revocation. The next steps for the affected properties and any appeal or reinstatement process were not specified during the discussion.