Respite

John here.

Saturday a group of volunteers(?) showed up and accomplished in a couple of hours what Jake Slater has been (certainly) unwilling and (probably) unable to require in five years:

The toilet and tire are moved to the curb, as are the various piles of trash.  They also mowed the lawn.  If one overlooks the spreading green mold and the flaking paint, 6003 looks almost decent. 

Time will tell whether this has abated  the trash problem or merely moved it out to the street.

Perhaps to remind us what we're dealing with here, Jessica noticed Kate at 6001 painting some furniture in her carport and unleashed a string of F-words at her.  We can report that Jessica is positively inept, compared to her predecessor Judy, whose F-word farragos were audible for blocks.  The range of Jessica's aural assault is measured in mere yards and her compositional range does not extend past the word itself.  Doubtless we'll see whether she can improve with practice.

Aside from the (lack of) paint and the surplus of auditory stimuli, the remaining concerns at 6003 look to center upon the six dogs (in violation of the zoning (see definition of "kennel")), two of whom appear to be pit bulls.  Stay tuned. . .

Good News and Astounding News

John here.

My peripatetic sister was out twice today and returned each time with News.

Dog Day

This morning, Alverson was before Judge Nick Nazarettian on three charges from last April when two of his dogs attacked Carolyn and her Mario


in Carolyn's driveway(!). The dogs bit Mario once and Carolyn twice. Of course they had not been vaccinated for rabies.

The Judge imposed a penalty, which looks to be up to $500 per count. In light of Alverson's history (failed to pay property tax; $504.45 unpaid water bill) we can anticipate having an opportunity to see what happens when he doesn't pay this.


Note added on Aug 20: I (at last) figured out how to access the Tampa court records. It seems that Judge Nazarettian talks a better case than he judges: The fine was only $25 (the same as the copay on Carolyn's tetanus shot) plus $110 in costs. Sigh.

Pants on Fire at Code nonEnforcement

On August 1, Carolyn filed a Public Records Act request with Jake Slater at Code nonEnforcement for records of the inspections at 6003 and for

any public records that would excuse the accumulations at 6003 Otis that are not visible from the road from the requirement of Section 19-237 of the Tampa Code of Ordinances.

The same day, Joe Papy of Code replied:

Those records are available for public inspection at our public access walk up kisok at 2105 N Nebraska Ave, between the hours of 8am and 4pm. Copies may be purchased for 15 cents per page.

Today Carolyn visited the kiosk. The extremely helpful Dee was not available but the equally helpful Lisa Middleton provided the inspection reports and told Carolyn that all they have there are inspection records.

Let's be clear about this: Code says trash is OK if it's not visible from the street. Carolyn asked for records saying it's OK to pile up your trash so long as it's not visible from the street. Code said the records are at the Kiosk. There are no such records at the kiosk. The only conclusion is that the Code website and their manifest practice are contrary to law.

That's right: Code nonEnforcement is supposed to enforce the law and, instead, they are telling lies and not enforcing. My sister and the other law-abiding citizens of Tampa get to pay taxes to support this mendacity and nonfeasance.

Dog Days in Seminole Heights

Carolyn here.

The latest couple to move into James' house has two dogs. The dogs are in the house most of the time but occasionally they would be tethered on the south side of the house. There is a fence but it had some gaps so the dogs needed to be tied.

One Sunday afternoon in mid-April, I was walking up my driveway with my little dog, Mario.
Somebody next door untied the two dogs. Both then attacked me and my dog, in my own yard. I got two bites on my legs while Mario had a puncture wound on his shoulder.

I called Animal Control. It turned out that neither dog had been given a rabies shot so I spent eleven of the longest days ever while they were quarantined in James' house. Just to enhance the wait, the tetanus shot cost me a $25 copay and left me feeling crummy for a few days. After what seemed like forever, the public health officer, the feckless Erika Frotman (yes, the same one who can't find shit), cleared the dogs as being rabies free.

James repaired the fence to the south of the house and also around the front yard, so I thought the dog problem was solved. Then, three weeks ago a friend walked out of my house to his car on the street and here came both dogs. I told him to either get in the car or on it. He jumped on the hood while James and Jessica collared the dogs, Jessica saying all the time that they do not bite. Pants on fire.

It is set for court in August on what appears to be a civil complaint. Perhaps we'll learn then whether Animal Control is as useless as Code Enforcement and the Health Department.

Note added on Aug 20: I (at last) figured out how to access the Tampa court records. It seems that Judge Nazarettian talks a better case than he judges: The fine was only $25 (the same as the copay on Carolyn's tetanus shot) plus $110 in costs. Sigh.