Neighbors around a Flagler Beach condominium unit are dealing with something no one really wants to talk about: Who cleans up after someone dies?

An unattended death is when someone dies and the body isn't discovered for an extended period of time because they are living alone and don't have regular contact with friends or relatives. First responders said they are one of the toughest scenes to handle.

And that's what happened earlier this month at the Aliki townhouses, a beachfront condominium in Flagler County.

Ten days ago, Kate Zaccaro was walking her dog during the evening and noticed a bunch of commotion next door.

"That's when we saw the door," Zaccaro said. "The body — you could smell it. And then we were concerned, we didn't know. They wouldn't tell us anything."

Rod Gorman Jr., 57, a retired teacher and coach from Pinellas County, had died. His body had been in the condo for "a while."

Eventually, Gorman's body was removed, and the unit was boarded up.

A week later, though, Zaccaro and others in the neighborhood were surprised when they could still smell the body.

"People were complaining," she said. "It was affecting neighbors. I mean, the one day you could see all the flies in the back of the door, the sliding glass doors. It's not nice."

The odor was still apparent on Wednesday.

Capt. Matt Doughney, of the Flagler Beach Police Department, said Wednesday that he was unaware there was still an issue at the scene.

Doughney said he planned to contact Gorman's next of kin, who lives out of the state, to remind them of their responsibilities. Thursday morning, a representative from Accident Cleaning and Restoration told us they have been hired to clean the unit. A clean-up crew from Ocala is expected to begin work next week. The delay in action, we were told was because a new door had to be specially ordered. Since there was no way to secure the unit, they could not begin.

The family is responsible for the cleanup, although there is an entire industry that specializes in related bio-hazard removals.

The situation is often covered by homeowners insurance.

Doughney said the city of Flagler Beach could step in, but that's only done on a case-by-case basis.

Zaccaro said she feels for the family, but she's also looking out for herself.

The cause of death is still under investigation, Doughney said.

A few months ago, the city of Flagler Beach launched its Friends of Flagler Beach Program, which is designed to help residents living alone who may be elderly, handicapped or otherwise isolated from daily contact with relatives or neighbors.