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An influencer from Joinville named Manarin filmed the abandoned lot next to his house in the Petrópolis neighborhood, mocked the overgrown area asking if the next season of “Naked and Afraid” would be filmed there, and the video resonated so much that he filed a complaint through the city hall’s app.
The influencer Manarin, a resident of the Petrópolis neighborhood in Joinville, in northern Santa Catarina, published a video on Instagram showing an abandoned lot stuck to the wall of his house, with uncontrolled overgrowth for about seven months. The situation caught the family’s attention at the end of last year when the vegetation began to grow uncontrollably, but the decisive moment came when a lizard was seen coming out of the lot, an episode that led the residents to conclude that the problem had exceeded any tolerable limit. In the video, Manarin mocked the height of the grass comparing the location to a scene from a survival show in the jungle, and the post reached thousands of views.
Before exposing the situation publicly, the family tried to resolve the problem directly. An aunt of the influencer contacted the owner of the lot, who responded rudely and then simply stopped answering. With no response from the owner and the overgrowth becoming denser, Manarin decided to use his audience to push for a solution. The result was immediate: followers advised that the complaint be made through the official app of the Joinville city hall, with photos and detailed description, and the influencer formalized the inspection request on Wednesday (15).
Why the abandoned lot in Joinville became a public health issue
@portalndmais O influenciador digital Manarin denunciou em vídeo a situação de um terreno abandonado ao lado da própria casa, no bairro Petrópolis, em Joinville, no Norte de SC. Segundo ele, o espaço está tomado pelo mato alto há cerca de sete meses. Em um vídeo publicado no Instagram, o influenciador ironizou a altura do mato e chegou a brincar sobre a gravação de um conhecido programa de TV que mostra a sobrevivência de participantes nus no meio da floresta. “Será que aqui vai ser gravado a nova temporada de Largados e Pelados?”. A repercussão do vídeo também levantou questionamentos sobre possíveis implicações legais, já que o influenciador entrou no terreno para gravar as imagens. “Eu me informei com advogado antes de postar. Ele disse que, como era uma denúncia e eu não oferecia risco, estaria tudo tranquilo”, destacou. Além do mato alto, moradores da região relatam preocupação com segurança e saúde pública. O terreno fica em uma rua sem saída, com iluminação precária e próximo a um rio. Siga @portalndmais Crédito: Reprodução/Redes Sociais/ND Mais NDMais LimpezaUrbana SC Terreno Joinville
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The problem goes beyond aesthetics. The lot is at the end of a closed street, in a poorly lit area and near a watercourse, a combination that turns the abandoned lot into a sanitary and safety risk for the entire neighborhood. Residents of the area report concerns about the possibility of the overgrowth becoming a breeding ground for dengue-carrying mosquitoes, a disease that has already caused outbreaks in several cities in Santa Catarina in recent years.
The security issue also weighs in. Manarin stated that there have been suspicious movements on the property, including the presence of homeless individuals and drug users, although not on a regular basis. An open lot, without maintenance and with vegetation that obstructs visibility, acts as a vulnerable point for occurrences that affect not only the immediate neighbors but the entire block. The property remains unfenced and shows no sign that the owner intends to take responsibility for its upkeep.
How the video about the lot went viral and mobilized followers
Manarin’s strategy was to use humor as a tool for denunciation. The comparison to the show Naked and Afraid, where participants survive naked in wild environments, turned what could have been a common complaint into content with sharing potential, and the audience responded with massive engagement. Comments were divided between those who laughed at the comparison and those who recognized the same situation in their own neighborhood, expanding the reach of the post beyond the influencer’s original followers.
The viral nature also brought practical guidance. Followers explained to Manarin that the complaint needed to be registered through the city hall’s app, with photographs and precise location, so that an inspection team could be assigned within the legal timeframe. The influencer followed the step-by-step instructions provided by the audience and formally filed the request, turning entertainment content into concrete administrative action. The city hall of Joinville has not yet publicly commented on the case, and the influencer is awaiting the regulatory timeframe for the property to be inspected.
The legal issue of entering private property to film
The video’s repercussions raised questions about the legality of Manarin entering the property to capture the images. The influencer stated that he consulted a lawyer before publishing the content and received guidance that, since it was a complaint without the intention to cause harm, the action would not constitute an infraction. The precaution shows that the content creator did not act impulsively: he calculated the risks before turning indignation into publication.
However, the situation of the lot remains unchanged. The owner has not responded to the family’s attempts to contact him nor has he made any statement after the video’s viral spread, and the legal representatives of the lot have not returned when approached by the local press. The space remains open, without maintenance, and with vegetation continuing to grow. For the neighborhood residents, each day without intervention is another day of living with health risks, insecurity, and the frustration of seeing an evident problem ignored by those who have a legal obligation to resolve it.
What the legislation says about property maintenance in Joinville
Brazilian municipalities have legislation that requires property owners to keep their lots clean and fenced, under penalty of fines and, in extreme cases, execution of the service by the city hall with subsequent charging to the owner. In Joinville, reporting through the app triggers the inspection department, which checks the situation on-site and notifies the owner to regularize the land within a specified timeframe. If the notification is ignored, the municipality can impose administrative sanctions.
The case of Manarin illustrates a problem that repeats itself in cities across Brazil. Thousands of urban lots remain abandoned for years because inspection depends on reports, the process is slow, and fines are not always sufficient to convince the owner to invest in maintenance. Meanwhile, neighbors live with overgrown vegetation, animals, insecurity, and the risk of diseases, paying with their own quality of life the price of others’ negligence. The land in the Petrópolis neighborhood has become a symbol of this reality because an influencer decided to film instead of just complaining.
And you, do you have an abandoned lot near your house? Have you tried reporting it through the city hall’s app? Did it work? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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