Public Service and Public DisService

John here.

We have good news and awful news. In the former category, the folks from SHIP have put in new plumbing at 6003 that looks to be professionally done. And they left the work open so it can be inspected (now there's a first!).


As to the bad news, Bill Davidson from Code nonEnforcement has filed a report that is baldly false: Despite this


and this


he reports that the "accumulation" situation at 6003 is "complied."

Here is the blow-by-blow from Carolyn:

July 27, 2011. 9:07 AM

Went out and took pictures of shit dump. Shreds of TP and a couple of cigarette butts but no sight of lime. I wonder how many thousands of pathogens are lingering next door. I know some of these have washed over onto my land (it rained this morning which added yet another batch more). I used diluted bleach on my side of the fence.

Sent a public records request for all rabies vaccinations under names of: 6003 N. Otis Ave. Tampa, FL 33604 or James Alverson or Jessica Martindell. At 9:43 Dennis McCullough, manger of Field Operations for Animal Services, called to tell me that he had received my request for public records. He told me that the only vaccination records at 6003 Otis were for the two dogs who attacked and bit me and my little dog in my driveway. I told him there are now five dogs there and that I was concerned about being bitten again by an unvaccinated dog. Also told him there was a rabbit and a ferret. He responded that the ferret must be vaccinated also. He inquired as to whether there were any other issues with 6003. Told him about the year long quest with the city to stop and remedy the raw sewage. He wanted to know were there any other issues with third world country next door that reflected the lack of effective action on the part of the city. Noted the 31 initial visits and 62 citations from Code and how some were marked complied when they were not (e.g., painting the house). He plans to call Code this morning to see what is going on. I referred him to the blog which, if the clicking of keys I heard is what I think it is, he was in the process of accessing.

Dennis told me that Tom Green, the Communication Supervisor for Animal Services, would be calling me this morning and requested that I provide this same information to Mr. Green. Dennis will mail the vaccination records today.

A bright light in an ocean lackadaisical, ineffectual city personnel. Interestingly, during our conversation as I was thanking him for his help he brought up the concept of public servant. He told me I did not have to thank him he was only serving a member of the public.

During my lunch break Jeff Sklut called me on my cell phone . He told me that Code had told him that the lime was down and that there was a group SHIP that would fix James' plumbing problems for free. He asked me to let him know if there was no lime.

When I arrived home from work, there was a message from Tom Green, Communication Supervisor, asking me to call him with regard to problems with animals at 6003. Will return his call tomorrow morning. He had called at 3:47 pm.

About 6:30 PM I went out and took several pictures of the shit dump. There appeared to be a white powder sprinkled over the area. More bleach spray on my side. An interesting approach to weed control.

July 28, 2011

Went to permitting office with completed form for the demolition of my tool shed. A truly helpful and friendly woman, Billie, slipped me in between appoints. As she was researching my home she discovered that it was built in 1925 which meant a permit must pass through historic. Billie called Libby to see if they needed pictures or since the shed is only about thirty (30) years old I just be given a permit. Libby said she would check and call me. As I pulled into my driveway she called me to say that I did not have to go through historic and could return to permits. Thanked her and basked in the warm glow of knowing all my tax dollars did not go to officials who were feckless. Some of it went to these two women (did I mention that Billie answered three unrelated phone calls and a query from a colleague while she was assisting me? Talk about multitasking!) and to Animal Control.

My son came over around 8 PM. We visited for about 30 minutes. As I was walking him across my porch to his car, Jessica [Martindell], who was in the front yard talking on her cell phone, began the same routine as the other night (regarding the "fucking bitch" next door). I was focused on the plans my son and I were making so just heard her ranting a background noise. As my son got in his car I did catch part of a threat to the effect that "...I will make your life a living hell."

My goodness. Here I thought she had been doing that for almost a year.

July 29, 2011

Brian, a prince among men, showed up at 8:35 AM to clean my house. About 8:45 AM a van and a truck pulled up in front of 6003. Emblazoned on their sides was The Women's Center and Senior Home Improvement Program (SHIP). I also saw a Code vehicle parked in the street on the south east corner of the intersection of Otis and Idlewild.. I was rushing to get ready to leave, so I asked Brian to go out back and see what was going on. When he returned he told me they were digging around the back sewer pipes. I sent him out with my camera and asked him to take many pictures. He came back with two and some imprecations following him. One of the gentlemen from SHIP with was unhappy about the pictures. Brian told him to be calm that he had not included any humans in his photos. Brian went out several more time (in between dusting and scrubbing). About 9:30 AM I walked back behind my tool shed to see what was happening. The gentleman working back there had covered his work with a large outdoor garbage bag. Okayyyyyy. If he is a legitimate plumber why is he hiding his work?

Brian went back out about ten minutes later. When he came back he reported that several people were trying to block the site so he took my ladder out of aforesaid tool shed moved it by my clothes line, climbed up on it and took some more pictures. He said James was yelling at him and Jessica was calling him a fucking bitch which is also what she calls me. The slattern before Jessica also called me a FB. James does not hang out with intellectuals.

James had told Brian to stop trespassing and taking pictures or he would call the police. Brian said do so if you want, but it is not illegal to take pictures of sewage or pipes from my employer's land. A few minutes later a police car parked in front of James' house and an officer walked into the yard to talk to Jessica and James. As Brian and I watched from my window Brian pointed out that Jessica's baby's daddy had disappeared. He had been in the yard since all the brouhaha started but quickly disappeared when the officer arrived.. Thinking back he has never been outside when an official was present even if it was Code or Wastewater and not the police. Hmmm.

About 10 AM, I left with my kids in their car to take them to the airport. The policeman was still talking with James and Jessica. He made no move to engage me in conversation when I left. I did not return until about 3:30 PM when I called Brian to see what happened while I was gone. A few minutes later as I walked my puppy, the plumbers were stowing tools preparatory to leaving. I overheard one man tell James not to walk on the pipes until after the inspection. They are really going to inspect something in James' yard! Unprecedented. Later I took some photos of the new plumbing.

While running errands this afternoon I stopped by Code and the inestimable Dee Schultz again proved her competence and affability as she gave me the latest print out for the violations at 6003. There was a note that the inspection for Sound with minor repairs had been postponed until August 16, 2011, to allow time to get the painting to get done. Makes sense. This was dated 07/26/11 for a second notice and was marked FAILED. The other two citations from this action file, Accumulations and Overgrowth, were marked Complied on this same date. I was speechless when I read this.

Hello. Look at the pictures on the blog since last weekend. Big pile in back yard and toilet, tire etc. are still behind the tool shed. Is it a prerequisite for code inspector school that an applicant must be visually impaired? or indifferent? or (say it softly) misconstruing the truth purposefully?

July 30.

When I walked the petite puppy after work (~6:30 PM) Jessica was sitting in the front yard talking on her cell phone (notice these folks can't pay their water bill but they have cell phones). As I walked on the now unobstructed sidewalk she raised her voice and began talking about the bitch next door etc., etc. I covered Mario's ears and walked on.

That was Then; This is Now

John here.

Paean to the Past

A few years ago (back when flying still was almost fun) I flew down to Tampa for a visit. I recall a visit from Alverson to give Carolyn a very nice wine rack he had built from scratch. Carolyn tells me there were at least two occasions in that time period when Alverson helped her out with minor plumbing repairs. In those days, the property at 6003 hardly fit into the picture of Seminole Heights and bungalows but it was clean and neat, and Alverson was a good neighbor.

Plaint for the Present

Then his wife left and the place deteriorated. As of July 5, we were approaching the third citation for raw sewage on the ground and that was just the tip of the iceberg:

On July 5, aside from the further sewage incident, Code nonEnforcement wrote Alverson for trash ("accumulations"), weeds ("overgrowth"), and paint ("sound[ness] with minor repairs"); they gave Alverson 21 days to correct these problems.

Today is day 24. Alverson picked up some of the trash but we still have the collection behind the shed


and a new collection out back


As to the weeds, they mowed Saturday but left enough weeds to demonstrate the capacity of this property to grow more.


And nothing has happened to the structure.


We'll see how Code nonEnforcement deals with this further opportunity to actually do their job.

In the meantime, a request for records discloses that three of the five dogs and the ferret at 6003 have not been vaccinated for rabies. That poses issues for Carolyn (who was bitten by the first two dogs, who now at least are vaccinated), Animal Control, and Code (the zoning does not permit a kennel).

For sure, Alverson has demonstrated that he is capable of being a good neighbor, so the only reason Carolyn (and Steve over at 6001) continue to live next door to a Third World Country is that Tampa and the County are refusing to enforce the law. Stay tuned.

Note added later Friday morning: Two trucks showed up at 6003 this morning. One says "SHIP -Senior Home Improvement Program" on the side. Hallelujah!

Lime of My Life

John here.

It took two days but somebody finally put down some lime and the stench of the sewage on the ground at 6003 N. Otis is gone.


I say "somebody" because Alverson, the owner, was at work today when Jeff Sklut of the Environmental Protection Commission called Carolyn to say that the lime was down. Sklut didn't say that Alverson had put down the lime but only that it was down. Even if Alverson limed the sewage, we have to wonder why it took two days to get a $3.98 bag of lime and sprinkle some on the wet spot.

To the good, as I said, the smell is gone. Sklut also reported that SHIP (apparently the Senior Home Improvement Program) is willing to fix the plumbing for free. In light of Alverson's limited plumbing skills (as evidenced by the multiple sewage incidents) and the duration of this problem (Code nonEnforcement first wrote Alverson for sewage on the ground on Feb. 16) this is particularly Good News.

Now we'll see what Code nonEnforcement does (or, more likely, does not do) about the trash and the paint.

So Much for the "Very First Affirmative Act in over Two Years"

John here.

Below (in inverted order and with the headers removed) is my email exchange yesterday with Jeff Sklut of the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission:

Butcher to Sklut:

Jeff,

Can you share with me a copy of the order you issued to Alverson?

John

------

Sklut to Butcher:

Mr. Butcher,

As Ms. Butcher was advised, the EPC will remain involved in this case in order to support the efforts of Tampa Code Enforcement and the Health Department. However, a little clarification regarding your reference to Section 15 of the Hillsborough County Environmental Protection Act is offered. The Emergency Order is a formal legal document that passes through several levels of review prior to being issued. We will normally go through 2 or 3 additional steps between initial receipt of a complaint and any formal enforcement proceeding.

Again, we will remain involved in this case but felt this clarification was needed.

------

Butcher to Sklut:

Mr. Sklut,

Thanks for the reply. Do I take it then that my sister misunderstood when she thought you said you had issued an order for Alverson to shut off the water in the downstairs bath?

John

------

Sklut to Butcher:

Sir:

May have been a slight misunderstanding. We can’t verbally issue an order without backing it up Administratively. Mr. Alverson was instructed to undertake the corrective actions as discussed previously.

------

Sklut to Butcher:

As another follow up, Mr. Alverson was instructed to secure the water to the ½ bath. He indicated he would discontinue using that bathroom. As I mentioned to your sister, if the blockage is down the line, then a discharge could occur from the other bathroom. Your sister indicated she would keep an eye out for any additional discharges and advise accordingly.

In short, Carolyn was mistaken as to an "order." Indeed, there is not even a writing. Just "instructions." Let's hope this is not a sign that EPC has the same need for a backbone transplant as Code, Health, and Wastewater Collection.

For sure, as of yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, photos show TP and cigarette butts, but no lime.

(click to enlarge)

Carolyn reports that it still smelled (of course).

Failing the Smell Test

John here.

This morning (Monday, July 25) Byron Bartlett of the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission called. A while later Jeff Sklut of the Commission called to say that Byron had assigned the case to him.

I gave him Carolyn's number. Then I Skyped Carolyn to pass along the News. Jeff called her just as I was warming up. She set an appointment to meet him at 1:00 PM.

At 1:00, Jeff showed up at Carolyn's door with an entourage that included the feckless Mr. James and, Carolyn thinks, the head of Code nonEnforcement, among others. Jeff clearly would have preferred to just speak to Carolyn and Alverson and try to figure out what was going on. I think he had the phalanx of bureaucrats thrust on him because of the effective phone calls from Bernadine King, Aide to Les Miller. (If so, THANK YOU MS. KING!!)

In any event, they all marched over to Alverson's property. Here is Carolyn's account of the event:

1:00 PM Jeff parked across the street. As he walked over to me, a Code vehicle pulled up with Code people and Frank James, the supervisor from wasted water. We wound up with Jeff and four bureaucrats. Jeff was clearly disconcerted and gave me a very rushed and only slightly coherent explanation of all this activity. Evidently he had planned to talk to me alone and then to James. Someone called him and told him they would meet him here at noon to which he replied that I would not be home until 1 PM and that was when he was coming. Apparently, everyone decided to come at one also. Everyone at this meeting was of supervisory rank according to Jeff. I asked him if it would facilitate this process if I went inside the house. With what I took to be relief, he replied yes.

I went in and the five gentlemen went into James' [Alverson's] yard. They talked for a few minutes and then adjourned to the back of the building. One of the gentlemen came striding up my driveway heading back; he did not seem timid about trespass. I heard someone knocking on my door and when I opened it, Kate Cain who lives on the other side of 6003 Otis, was there. I was concerned that I would have several angry city employees on my porch attempting to be exquisitely polite while excoriating me, as happened on July 5. I was grateful for the backup.

About ten minutes later Jeff knocked on my door. After introducing him to Kate, I inquired as to the outcome of all supervisory frothings and foamings. Jeff responded that he had ascertained at least part of the problem. What I took to be a metal pipe cut flush with the ground, was actually an old clean out port. He determined that the problem was with the downstairs half bath and ordered James to seal it so that no water was being used, especially the toilet. He also gave James instructions to disinfect the area with lime or diluted bleach (it still stank, despite James' efforts with shovel and hose). I assume that when health department workers take microbiology they, in contrast to Jeff, skip the part about fecal pathogens and how to palliate them. All the times they were out here before I never heard any requirement, or suggestion, for sterilizing the site of the shit dump. Code I can understand. They probably never took microbiology and don't realize that these lovely little devils such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites can cause serious illness and even death (e.g., tetanus from Clostridium tetani, Hepatitis A (a virus), Giardia (often through dogs which have it (did I mention five dogs and a rabbit and a two month old baby next door?) and Cryptosporidium, and gram negative bacteria such as E. coli).

Jeff also told us that Code Enforcement has discretionary funds which could be used to hire a plumber to fix the defects around the house. He cautioned us, however, that Frank James (yes that Frank James who told me that he was assuming that James was hooked up with the city sewer and he was not going to investigate my complaint any further) thought there might be an obstruction in the line somewhere between the house and the city pipe. (His workman figured that out on July 5!) If this were to prove to be the case, there might be more feces down the road.

Jeff Sklut was a pleasure to talk with and seemed to offer steps toward at least a partial abatement of the year long sewage problem. He also was very specific as to the scope of his power, which I appreciated.

Truthfully, I am too enraged and discouraged with my government to feel much hope, even after today. I have never needed much in the of way of assistance from the city but always felt surely that it would be there when I did. This past four years have exposed me to ineptitude (or worse) in the city. Unlike Mr. Sklut these people define public service as self service and ineffectual incompetence. (I have also dealt with a few civil servants who were truly civil and very competent (thanks again Dee).)

I am more hopeful than Carolyn. Jeff's order is the very first affirmative act in over two years directed at solving a problem at 6003. If the "order" is, as it seems, an Emergency Order of the Commission, it has real teeth:

SECTION 15.
EMERGENCY ORDER;
PENALTIES.
In the event a violation of this act or the rules
and regulations promulgated pursuant to this act
creates an immediate health hazard or threatens
immediate serious damage to the public health,
or threatens or causes irreparable injury or
damage to aquatic life or property, the
environmental director shall have the power and
authority to order immediate cessation of the
operations causing such conditions. Any person
receiving such an order for cessation of
operations shall immediately comply with the
requirements thereof. It shall be unlawful for
any person to fail or refuse to comply with the
requirements thereof. It shall be unlawful for
any person to fail or refuse to comply with an
emergency order issued and served under the
provisions of this section.

Moreover, Carolyn reports that the head of Code nonEnforcement was back this afternoon, with an aide, talking to Alverson. There is at least some hope that the matter now has gone beyond the feckless Mr. James and the obstructionist Mr. Davidson and the helpless Ms. Frotman, whose lawyers are cosmic wimps.

On the subject of wimps, the Code paperwork and the reports from Carolyn contain a cacophony of excuses from Code nonEnforcement and others that they need landowner permission to go onto Alverson's (or anybody else's) property. To the contrary, the Tampa Code tells them they can go in there and do their job, permission or no:

Sec. 1-16. - Right of entry.
The official, in enforcing the provisions of this Code, shall have the right of entry upon real property and shall be immune from civil or criminal prosecution for trespass upon real property while in the discharge of his duties of enforcing the provisions of this Code. The same immunity shall inure to his authorized agents, assistants, employees, and contractors employed on behalf of the city in connection with such enforcement as provided by law.

The endemic pusillanimity of Code nonEnforcement and the other Tampa bureaucrats would be hilarious if the Third World public nuisance at 6003 were next door to the Mayor. With the mess next door to my sister, it just makes me glad I don't live in Tampa and wish she didn't either.

I worked for the Virginia government for over thirty years and concluded that the bureaucracy is a great, miasmatic swamp, with occasional islands of excellence. I am hoping that we have, at last, found two of those islands in the Tampa morass.

So, my money is on Jeff Sklut. He seems to think he should actually do his job. And on Bernadine King, who thinks that Tampa citizens should not have their health and property values threatened by this kind of mess.

Stay tuned . . .

The Wages of Code nonEnforcement

John here.

You may recall that Code nonEnforcement cited Alverson for the verdant weeds on his property and gave him twenty-one days(!) to mow them. Saturday, July 23, was day eighteen. That afternoon, Alverson brought in a lawnmower and Ms. Martindell and then her boyfriend and finally Alverson mowed. The (belated) result (Why did Code give him 21 days to do a job that took only a couple of hours?) looked much better

except for the puddle of sewage behind the house.


The brown splotches are what you would expect in sewage. Ditto the white ones. Click to enlarge and you can clearly see the happy colony of flies. To the same end:


The pictures don't show the aroma.

Carolyn took another pic this morning (Sunday) that she says shows the pipe from which the sewage flows. I can't see the pipe but I have no problem seeing the effluvium.


BTW: The main sewer looks to be at the side of the house:


So it's not clear whether the discharge in back is from that sewer or from the add-on half-bath downstairs. My guess is the latter.

The feckless Mr. James of Wastewater Collection chose to ignore the opinion of his own employee that the fog and sand in the pipe leading to the main sewer suggested a break in the line and that it needed only a toilet flush, while the camera watched from the sewer, to settle the question. He joined the feckless Mr. Davidson of Code nonEnforcement, seconded by Ms. Frotman of the Health Department, in the position that there is no sewage problem unless they could see or smell it. If they'll visit today they'll see it and smell it; if they hang around for a short while they'll enjoy a visit from some well-fed flies.

Code nonEnforcement wrote Alverson for "public nuisance," i.e., sewage on the ground, on Feb. 16, and marked it "complied" on Feb. 22. They wrote it again on April 18. Without inspecting the work (Duhhhh! Now we see why the ordinance requires them to inspect that new pipe Alverson installed. Again, the neighborhood pays the price of their nonfeasance), they marked it "complied" on May 16.

We'll see whether they can do their jobs this time. It would be a welcome change.

The photo of the mowed yard, above, shows that the fencing that was on the ground has been moved. It takes another photo to show where it moved to:


Looks like we'll also see whether moving the trash around constitutes compliance as to the "accumulation."


Note added Sunday afternoon: Here comes the coverup. Note the shovel. We've gone from sewage on the ground to ground on the sewage. And the vent pipe is back.


Note added Monday, July 25: About 7:30 this morning, someone in a Code uniform showed up and chatted with Alverson. After he left, Alverson went out back and got busy again with shovel and hose. My money says that Code and Health won't be able to find anything when they next show up.

Carolyn just had a call from Greg Rotler, Erika Frotman's supervisor. He says his legal people tell him that photos and witnesses are not enough; one of his people has to see or smell the sewage. So this goes beyond fecklessness; this is institutional pusillanimity. And as to Code nonEnforcement, of course, it's more like conspiracy with the violator.

Byron Bartlett of the Hillsborough Environmental Protection Commission called me this morning about 6003; his associate Jeff Sklut called to follow up and made an appointment to walk the property with Carolyn.

Carolyn also had a call from Bernadine King, Aide to Les Miller. Ms. King recognized that the extraordinary history at 6003 represents a problem; she said she would talk to Jack Slater in Code and Santiago Carato (phonetic spelling) in the Mayor's office to ask them to try to resolve the situation. We'll see.

Selective Fecklessness

John here.

Some time last winter, Alverson repaired his fence. In the process, he hung the driveway gate so it opened outward. Thereafter, when leaving he would open the gate and leave it blocking the sidewalk.

I posted about that Wednesday (2 days ago) and Carolyn complained to Code the same day. Thursday Alverson rehung the gate so it opens inward. This morning he opened it (inward), drove out, and closed it.

The records at Code say that, as of Thursday: "We are currently checking out the violation at the address given, we will be giving this to our Trans Dept for possible resolution to this complaint."

Manifestly, Code contacted Alverson. By the same inference, Code is not keeping accurate records.

Still more to the point, Code got that violation cured in one day, with no notices, citations, appearances before the magistrate, orders, or fines.

Then we have the weeds that Code wrote on July 5, following earlier notices for weeds on July 8, 2009 and April 18, 2011. Here is how they looked yesterday (July 21):

Then we have "accumulations" (of trash). Code has written Alverson for accumulations fifteen times:

The most recent notice was, again, July 5. Aside from an early flurry of trash removal, the latest notice has had no effect on the trash behind the shed


or the fencing on the ground


Then we have seven "structure" notices going back to March 22, 2006, at least two of which mention "paint." Contrast those with the current condition of the building:

The weed and trash violations mostly are repeats. The paint, however, has never been corrected.

So we have Code nonEnforcement able to get the gate fixed in one day, but utterly impotent as to repeated weed and trash violations or to get the building painted. On the evidence of the gate (and the early, albeit partial trash pickup after the July 5 visit), I'm inclined to think they CAN do their job, they just don't want to.


Note added on July 24: Carolyn posits that Alverser was responding to this blog rather than to somebody from Code. If so, it would mean that the Code record might be accurate but their effectiveness is even less that suggested above.

Third World Next Door

John here.

Carolyn's friend Linda was in town for a visit last weekend. She is married to a US diplomat so she knows first hand what the Third World looks like. Sitting on Carolyn's front porch and looking at 6003 N. Otis, she said: "Carolyn, you live next door to the Third World."

Linda deduced that from just the look of the place, without the further information regarding the 31 visits by Code nonEnforcement and the 62 violation notices.

Here is what she would see today. First the gate blocking the sidewalk out front:

Then the fence "repair":
And the fencing on the ground over the sewer "repair":
And the weeds out back, now concealing the downed vent pipe:
And two views of the "paint" job and weeds:
And here, from July 17, is a view of the trash behind the shed:
Nice tire and toilet, eh?

I think they should require the feckless Mr. Davidson from Code to live next door to this for a few weeks and see if it wouldn't inspire him to actually do his job.

Never Mind the Public Sidewalk; Walk in the Street

John here.

Following a recent "repair" of the fencing at 6003, the driveway gate now opens outward, where it blocks the sidewalk. Here is how it looked this morning.

I asked Carolyn to keep notes: It was blocked for four or five hours Sunday and all day Monday. She was out early and back late, so we don't know about yesterday.

The Tampa Code of Ordinances provides:

Sec. 22-8. - Obstructing streets, sidewalks, alleys, etc.; exceptions.

(a) It is unlawful for any person to place in or upon any place, street, sidewalk, alley, landing, wharf or pier owned or controlled by the city and located within the city limits any article or thing without a permit therefor, unless such article or thing is otherwise authorized by law.
(b) If any such article or thing shall be placed in or upon any such place, street, sidewalk, alley, landing, wharf or pier without lawful authority, the official, without notice, is authorized to cause such article or thing to be removed to some convenient place designated by him. The cost of such removal shall be charged to the owner of the article or thing or to the person responsible for placing, establishing or fixing the article or thing in violation of this section.

In light of the City's failure to control the mess at 6003, despite 31 visits and 62 notices by Code nonEnforcement, I expect this is just another law that doesn't apply at 6003 N. Otis.

Tampa Fiddles While Otis Ave. Festers

John here.

They shut off the water at 6003 last month for nonpayment of the bill:

Notwithstanding the "final bill" notation, there was a second final bill:

In the meantime, on June 14 Ms. Martindell, the tenant/visitor/who_knows_what at 6003, signed up for the water:

Alverson still owns the house; he still lives there. The only thing that has changed is that the water is back on and Tampa is out $504.45 (which the other ratepayers get to pay).

Then we have the delinquent real estate taxes:

So, we see that the neighbors who pay their taxes and water bills get to subsidize this affront to their property values. What a deal. You go, Tampa government!