North Miami ~ Corruption Might Be An Improvement Over Ineptitude

Since January of 2004 I've had an ongoing battle with the City of North Miami about a neighbor's fence put up without a permit and not conforming to code. I've written about this on the blog before, back in January. When another contractor, a well drilling company this time, showed up there in January 2006, with no posted permit, while I was waiting for somebody from the city to show up, I stood in the street on public property and took a few photos. I got attacked! When the city manager arrived a few minutes later I was lying on the ground semi-concious by the side of the road. This photo was shot by my son Jonathan the next morning.

Last night, finally, was the code enforcement hearing on the fence, only 32 months after the first citation was issued! It was postponed another month! Councilman Galvin had asked me to give him a report via Email after the meeting. Here's the Email:

Hi Scott,

I would remind you that for the 36+ years that I lived here before the current owners of 1375 N.E. 133rd St. moved next door and erected that non conforming fence without a permit I never had any problems. Not with the city, not with my neighbors. And never any month's worth of roosters awakening me at 4:45 every morning.

There are three reasons my yard and the area behind the rear fence is a mess.

One is that the Pena family has dumped trash behind my rear fence, and between the fences. I've complained about this before. You came over with Mark shortly after they moved in and removed a concrete clothes line pole they'd put there that had been in their yard. After the hurricanes last year they dumped all their downed branches and tree limbs over the fence into my yard. God forbid they should have a trash pile behind their illegal fence. They also discarded a transmission bell between the fences, visible only from my side. The tailings from digging all the post holes were piled up behind my fence making it next to impossible to mow with a conventional mower. No, instead, I not only got charged for the mowing but they destroyed a stand of mature fruiting banana plants that were there when I bought the house in 1967.

Two is that frankly I still have pain in my ribs and dizzy spells from that beating I got last in January when I photographed the well driller in their yard while standing in the street, public property. Yes, I should have allowed them to transport me to the hospital but I didn't realize at the time that I was in as bad a condition as I was and I was supposed to pick up my son at the airport an hour later. Whereas at one time mowing my lawn was no problem now there are days when it just hurts too much, probably from cracked ribs that didn't heal properly. As for the dizzy spells I'm going to the neurologist again tomorrow. More money down the drain.

But the main reason my yard is a mess is that I'm afraid to be out there when I see my neighbors. The way they look at me everytime they see me. I'm living in constant fear of being attacked and beat up again. This is a great way to enjoy retirement, isn't it?

And for this I get to waste more time going to more meetings because Code Enforcement can't get their paper work straight for the hearing, the fence is still there, I have another invoice from Country Bill who essentially came over and did a shitty job of REMOWING what I had already mowed, and wasn't yet over height again. Meanwhile the neighborhood is awash in uncited yards in worse condition.

But I guess they keep calling code enforcement about my yard, and poor Hans is caught between a rock and a hard place. It's easier to cite me because it seems that while the city can call Country Bill the city can't tear down the fence.

Well, I saved the pages from last night's agenda. Unbelievable that this has been festering now for THIRTY TWO MONTHS.

Cheers,

Al
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Hans is the code enforcement officer and Country Bill is the lawn company with the city contract.

So what do you all think of this situation? Why not let some North Miami officials know what your thoughts are? Thanks!
ScttGlvn@aol.com, bthomas@northmiamifl.gov, cpatterson@northmiamifl.gov, mcollins@northmiamifl.gov, lwhitfield@northmiamifl.gov, dkelly@northmiamifl.gov
CC:
mferrucci@northmiamifl.gov,