Poop and Population

John here.

We were wrong about the downstairs half bath

An email last night from Alverson’s ex closes the book on the downstairs half bath and asks an interesting question:

Carolyn,

When the house was bought there had at one time been a half bath down there in the shop. Toilet and sink were replaced when the downstairs was remodeled. That was around 2000 or 2001. Never had any problems with it draining or anything. But then there were only 2 people living there. Never dug any sewer lines, just set toilet on existing pipe in downstairs.

I bet there is a septic tank back there and that is what that one half bath was piped into. It probably has collapsed and that is probably the problem.. Remember there was a well on that property also out in the front where that slab of concrete is.

* * *

Hope this helps..

Belinda

So we were wrong about the downstairs half bath.

The new question is whether there is a septic tank back there, perhaps attached to the downstairs bath. If so, that’s another issue for Mr. Davidson. Carolyn is going down to the Code kiosk this afternoon to search the permits in case there’s something to be found there.

But we can count

They have moved a teenaged male into 6003. Carolyn thinks he's a friend of the boyfriend. In any case, the Tampa zoning atlas E-12 places 6003 N. Otis in an RS-50 zone. The zoning ordinance at § 27-77(a)(1) tells us:

RS-50 Residential single-family: This district provides areas for primarily low density single-family detached dwellings . . .

Table 4-1 in the same ordinance lists the permitted uses. Primary among those is Dwelling, single-family, detached.

The definitions in the zoning ordinance provide:

Family: Any number of people related by blood, marriage, legal guardianship, or adoption or not more than four (4) unrelated persons living together as a single housekeeping unit, using a single facility in a dwelling unit for culinary purposes. The term "family" shall not be construed to include a fraternity or sorority, club, roominghouse, institutional group or the like.

Dwelling, single-family: Where used in this Code, it shall mean single-family attached, single-family detached and single-family semidetached.

Now living at 6003 we have:

James Alverson, owner

Jessica

Jessica’s infant

Jessica’s boyfriend

Newly added teenager

Five is more than four. Two are related (Jessica and child) but none is related to James. Do you suppose that poses an issue under the zoning ordinance? If so, do you suppose the Zoning people may be willing to actually do their jobs? We'll find out.