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.