But neighbors and officials said Davis' lawn is an eyesore and he's flaunted the law for years. Once, when a judge ordered him to move the trash, he put it on his roof.

hehe.. that Allen... what a wacko..

I'm curious of what other people think about their neighbors messy yards? Is a man's(woman's) home really their castle or are we going on a consensus? And sure this guy is a bit of an ass but do you really send him to 3 years for not picking up his yard?!? Whose rights were violated?

There is a town I know of where all the houses have to be painted white. It is a city ordinance. Of course, there are millions of townhome and condo associations where you have to follow guidelines on fences, drapes, toys on balconies, yard maintenance, etc.

I'm all for the right to express oneself until you start encroaching on other people. I wouldn't want a junkyard in my neighborhood, and if someone flaunted the law the way this guy did I'd put his ass on ice for a while. 3 years does seem excessive.

He's been wrecking his neighbor's property values for years as well as creating a health risk - the guy's yard was a haven for rats, roaches, and other vermin that don't do much to further the cause of public safety.

Also, he didn't flaunt the law; he flouted it.

He's serving not only for creating and maintaining a public nuisance, but probation violations and contempt of court. Remember, this isn't something that's just started in the past few months. This has been going on for thirteen years.

That said, I find it hard to believe that it's possible to create an eyesore in Sanford, comparitively speaking.

nin_man

the guy's yard was a haven for rats, roaches, and other vermin that don't do much to further the cause of public safety.

Not really...from what I remember the cops would visit his property somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 times a year. They never saw rats, roaches (which arent a health risk), or any evidence of vermin.

He did have a ton of crap in his yard - but it was his yard.
/just sayin.

nin_man:

I find it hard to believe that it's possible to create an eyesore in Sanford, comparitively speaking.

No kidding since the 'Altamonte Eyesore' is in the same county...

Well, it looks like he won't be cleaning it up, after all.

..................

Seriously, though, I take issue with this. If a person's property isn't a health hazard, and they haven't signed any contracts with a neighborhood association, it should be up to them as to how pretty or ugly they want their property to be.

This is nothing more than a case of the government trying to show a citizen who the boss is. A power-play that has no positive outcome.

3rd FLORIDA tag in one day?

Damn, this state sucks.

Next you are going to tell me you can get arrested for not cutting your own hair!

I don't normally side with cranks, but is there no such thing as private property anymore?

so that means it will be 16 years his yard is dirty (uncleaned-up)!

you might be a redneck if....

nin_man had it right on the head...before the health risk thing though. If you were his neighbor and paid say, 150K for a house and property, then this asshat moved in and dropped your property value in half, you'd be pissed off too.

This is crazy. This is a victimless crime."
Kinda like punching someone in the dark.

It's the big one!

lets see this is gonna cost how much to house this lad??? Crack deaalers get less for capping folks....where is Cartman's "respect ma authority" figurine when you need one!

who owned the land? if the county owned it, they can do this.

Sanford and Son references--AWESOME!

Funniest bit from that show- Fred's son's buddy Chico is over and says "Buenos Dias Fred". Fred says "and a good beans and disease to you too!"

Toleraen:

If you were his neighbor and paid say, 150K for a house and property, then this asshat moved in and dropped your property value in half, you'd be pissed off too.

I agree that it's a dickish thing to do, but it shouldn't be illegal.

If I made my house into a spectacle by painting it purple polka-dot and sticking dildos all over the outside of it, it would cause your property value to decline and it would be a prickish thing to do, but it wouldn't be illegal.

Toleraen:

nin_man had it right on the head...before the health risk thing though. If you were his neighbor and paid say, 150K for a house and property, then this asshat moved in and dropped your property value in half, you'd be pissed off too.

I'd be upset, but I also know that it's not my neighbor's job to keep up my property value.

schling

Seriously, though, I take issue with this. If a person's property isn't a health hazard, and they haven't signed any contracts with a neighborhood association, it should be up to them as to how pretty or ugly they want their property to be.

Actually many towns have their own ordinances similar to those of home owners associations specifically designed to prevent eyesores and debris-riddled lawns (and protect property values).

He should sue whoever led him to believe he actually owned the land he bought. Shame on them!

I have a neighbor who won't let anything go to a landfill. He keeps all his garbage in his house and yard. He paints houses for a living, and brings home all the used paint cans and tarps and piles them in his yard. He separates some of his garbage so the syrofoam take-out boxes are all in one pile, the used motor oil bottles in another and used toothpaste tubes are in another. He has an area that he's kinda fenced in that he just throws stuff in there. The house and yard smell musty. The city says there's nothing they can do. I agree you should be able to be a slob on your own property, but isn't there a limit?

The homeowners association for Bay Isl likes to leave notes in our mailbox, cut your grass, no loud music after 10pm, motorcycle speed limit 5 mph, no more than 4 boats tied abreast at your pier, no firing of weapons into the bay [long story there], the list goes on & on. I keep the place pretty well maintained, painted, grass & shrubs & trees pruned but I swear when this duty is up I'm moving somewhere where my neighbors stay out of my business. One family on the Island painted their victorian mansion pink & purple without getting permission from the association & they finally gave up & moved. If your not an officer on the association's board & play their game life gets pretty ruff here. They make the rules up as they go along. So Mr. Davis sir, next time you're in town I have some airplane parts I need to put on my roof. Buzzy.

It seams like every town/city has at least one crazy junk collecting guy and one crazy cat lady.

I suspect the towns have an additional interest in keeping up property values. The higher the value, the higher the assessment and the more taxes they can collect.

But those rules may in fact fall in line with the zoning ordances. For instance, you can't have a dump in your front yard because your land has been zoned residential. I'd say this guy's lawn nearly qualifies as a dump.

/Useless without pics

Don't like sombody else's yard? Move your ass outta the neighborhood. It's not his responsibility to maintain your property value.

monorail_crisp:

I have a neighbor who won't let anything go to a landfill. He keeps all his garbage in his house and yard. He paints houses for a living, and brings home all the used paint cans and tarps and piles them in his yard. He separates some of his garbage so the syrofoam take-out boxes are all in one pile, the used motor oil bottles in another and used toothpaste tubes are in another. He has an area that he's kinda fenced in that he just throws stuff in there. The house and yard smell musty. The city says there's nothing they can do. I agree you should be able to be a slob on your own property, but isn't there a limit?

Used paint cans and used motor oil are environmental hazards, and your local municipality should have regulations that govern proper disposal of them. I don't think they can help too much on the toothpaste tubes.

If he wants to live in a junkyard, he should MOVE to the junkyard, and allow people to have their homes keep a decent value.

While he's away, I hope the neighbors all sneak over at night and haul his crap away... under the cover of darkness...

Tie his wife up (bound/gag her)... then clean up the lawn... and then UNbind/ungag her... and RUN like heck.

Case closed.

There is not one nice place to live in sanford. I can't believe they would do this to this man. Sanford is an absolute craphole.

I rent a lot, and have a home on it. My landlord is a real dick. So I painted my porch red, like a fire engine. Then I caught him sneaking around my backyard one night, so I got out ye ole shotgun and stepped outside. The sound of a pump action has conviced him not to do that anymore. Hey, even if your renting, you have rights. Leave the dude alone if he is not hurting someone.

hm...maybe what the guy really needs is mental help.

I imagine that if I cleaned my junk in my yard, I probably would get arrested, or at least get some funny looks.

He flouted the law not flaunted.

Flout:

# verb: treat with contemptuous disregard (Example: "Flout the rules")
# verb: laugh at with contempt and derision

He's been there 13 years. Are the complaints from people who moved in after him? Hard to tell..

refusing to clean up junk in his yard for 13 years

Argh_Dammit??

I have to come down on the side of the city and other property owners.

I live on a street that is about a block long and dead ends in a circle drive. This house is the first for my wife and I. For whatever reason, the bulk of the residents (myself included) are fairly meticulous about not only their lawn care, but the general outside appearance of their homes. I've never felt pressured to do so--it is just something I discovered I enjoyed doing after we moved in last year. We have a pretty wide range of demographics on the block--old, young, single, married, kids, no kids.

That being said, there is one house, about 7 or 8 up from ours that is a complete pit. You simply cannot help but notice it. The lawn was never cut. When I say never cut, I'm not talking about only once or twice a month, I mean it was never cut once since we moved in last May. Their car port (one of the only homes on the street without a garage) is literally overflowing with trash--bed mattresses, bags of who knows what, bundles of newspaper, boxes, you name it. They have a car up on blocks in the driveway that has not moved since the day we moved in. They have a metal container on the front lawn the fill with water and used as a pool for their innumerable children over the Summer. My understanding is the husband does not work, and the wife is, of all things, a Mary Kay salesperson.

Without fail, I mean not once, has a guest of ours not mentioned this house. It is simply that noticeable it comes up unsolicited. We had family in town for the holidays, and one group mentioned it before the coats were even off their backs.

Can you even imagine being the home owner on either side of this house? It would be bad enough having to endure the view outside your window on a daily basis; however, I would gather it would be impossible to get fair market value should you decide to sell. I'm certain, had the house we purchased been next door to this cesspool, we would not have even bothered to go in and look.

Someone (or a group of people) has called the police out several times since we have lived there, and I've heard they were given a summons ordering them to improve the situation. I can't say I noticed that much of a difference. I absolutely cannot stand the idea of getting lawyers involved in any situation, but were I unfortunate enough to live next to them and trying to sell my home, I wouldn't think twice about it.

KP97DC: Leave the dude alone if he is not hurting someone.

Physical harm isn't the only harm that one can do to another.

By depressing the property value of the homes around his, he's not only depriving his neighbors of equity valuation but he's also reducing the municipality's ability to collect revenue because of the lowered tax accessments.

Personal liberty only goes so far, and stops when it begins to impact the greater good.

But isn't it his roof that he tied his canoe to? Not one to side with crackpots, but it's this guy's yard. A public nuisance? I'll bet he considers his neighbors a public nuisance.

As an attorney I've drawn up more than my share of Covenants and Restrictions for subdivisions. They create little feifdoms where the head turd is usually as corrupt and as power hungry as a little fish in a big pond can be.

Toleraen --
"nin_man had it right on the head...before the health risk thing though. If you were his neighbor and paid say, 150K for a house and property, then this asshat moved in and dropped your property value in half, you'd be pissed off too."


Our rights are > than your wallet.

Where does it say that this guy wasn't there before everyone else?

I lived in the middle of nowhere once upon a time and now I'm surrounded by a home owner's association. Fark 'em.

you know... if he's in jail for 3 years, it's still not gonna get cleaned up.

2005-02-01 04:59:19 PM
Occams_Electric_Razor


KP97DC: Leave the dude alone if he is not hurting someone.

Physical harm isn't the only harm that one can do to another.

By depressing the property value of the homes around his, he's not only depriving his neighbors of equity valuation but he's also reducing the municipality's ability to collect revenue because of the lowered tax accessments.

Personal liberty only goes so far, and stops when it begins to impact the greater good.



Greater good and personal liberty is measured in dollars now?

But where does "decline in property value" begin and where does it end. I've got to believe that my property values would decline if any prospective purchaser knew what an asshat my neighbor is. Should he be required to move to protect my value?

My cross the street neighbor cuts his lawn at least twice a week, whether it needs it or not, usually not. Only thing I can figure is that he hates his wife and refuses to go indoors where his newborn twins are waiting. Or else he's just anal retentive. Crazy can take on many forms.

I'm from in the neighborhood - well close enough to see the story on local news, and this guy is crazy. I mean, I think the power that homeowner's associations have is nuts, but so is this guy. And it does become other people's business when his yard is an eyesore, attracts pests to the area, or even depresses property values.

If he wants to do stuff like this, he can buy cheap land way out in the country on a dirt road somewhere and stack stuff up to the sky.

Have you ever seen the room of a 5 year old that never picks up his toys? Little parts of this & that and lego blocks and whatever. You could scoop it up with a shovel. That's what this guy's whole yard is like, except the stuff is metal, alot of it rusty steel. A bunch of industrial stuff. I mean the WHOLE yard. From the walls of the house to the street. Junk. This is not his first time in jail. After years of code violations etc, he was sent up. While he was gone, the govmt took to his yard with a front end loader and dump trucks.

Then while he's gone, his wife defends his behaviour. Brainwashed, really. What's truly sad is there's a little girl in the house, maybe 5 years old. Looking at all this commotion caused by her crazy parents. This kind of instability around a child rarely works out well.

attracts pests to the area


From what I have read, there are no pests. Just stuff.

Florida, you so crazy. Personally I'd rather my neighbors cleaned up their junk in the shower like everybody else.

I love it when all the little college kids that haven't seen the floor in their door rooms since August come in here and say "It's his property, man! He can do what he wants." Just wait until you buy your own house. Then you will understand.