Friday, June 5, 2009
Last night, at the Palm Bay City Council Meeting, Harold Westlake spoke out as part of a Florida F.A.C.E.OFF. presentation, which included speeches by our members Jerry Brinegar and Sondra Karwel, to try to make the Council Members aware that the problem of abusive Code Enforcement has become an aggressive cancer, festering beneath the surface of Brevard County, and destroying it from the inside. To see this presentation, click on this link, go to the Regular Council Meeting for 06/04/09, and click on the Video:
Videos of Palm Bay City Council Meetings
The Code Enforcement presentation begins at minute 1:21:10.
Harold Westlake, who is of American Indian descent, grew up in a Florida which is quickly vanishing forever. At the age of 6, he was already working, candling eggs in West Melbourne at the Lafferty's Poultry Farm. During our visit with him to chronicle his story, he regaled us with many fascinating tales about the Brevard County of his youth.
Sadly, Harold broke his neck in a tragic swimming pool accident, which left him a quadriplegic. Recently, he has regained partial use of his hands. Often, as I drive past the canal by the Palm Bay Library, I see Harold rolling along the trail in his wheelchair on his way to the library, where he can use one of their computers to keep in touch with the world, or the grocery store, to pick up some food. Harold is an independent soul, known for helping his friends when they are in need, who simply wants to do the best he can to live a decent life after a tragic accident.
Unfortunately, that was not to be, because after his horrible accident, to put the icing on the cake, he was viciously attacked by aggressive Code Enforcement abuse. In 2005, he got a letter from Code Enforcement telling him that he was being cited for "accessing the swale through the right-of-way" which simply meant that he was driving his van through his ditch so he could put his wheelchair lift out into his driveway!
PALM BAY, PUHLEEZ!!!!!!
I can't even think of the right words to describe how disgusted I am by this...Okay, nevermind...
I'm not even going to try...On with the story...
Harold, being a good, law-abiding citizen, immediately came into compliance with their ridiculous request to cease and desist from this horrible crime, even though doing so made life much more difficult for him than it already was. Then, thinking the matter was over, he went on about his life, as best he could, only to find out recently, when he went to apply for free city water based on his disability, that he couldn't get it because there was a $7,000 Code Enforcement lien on his house! A lien that he never even knew existed!
Apparently, Harold was not alone in this, as is evidenced in a recent Florida Today article, written by Kimberly C. Moore on March 18, 2009, which revealed that in Palm Bay there, "currently are outstanding code violation fines in excess of $20 million." The article went on to quote Mike Hofmeister, who lives on Gera Avenue in Palm Bay. Hofmeister said, "There are a lot of people like me who didn't know they had a fine."
Tricky, Palm Bay.......Veeeery Tricky!
After the meeting, Harold told me that this was his first public speech.
FOR HAVING THE COURAGE TO SPEAK OUT
AGAINST
AGGRESSIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT ABUSE!
On June 16, 2009, Bill Mick, during the 8am hour of his show, Bill Mick Live (which can be heard from 6am-9am weekdays on WMMB 1240/1350, and at your leisure on his podcasts) presented a much more complete and balanced look at Harold Westlake's story than the one presented in the Florida Today newspaper story which broke on the same day. Here is the link to that podcast entitled, "Palm Bay Code Enforcement Over the Top" so you can listen:
Monday, June 22, 2009
THE FOUNDING WHO????Videos of Palm Bay City Council Meetings
Jerry Brinegar's presentation begins at minute 53:20.
During his speech, Jerry talked about Our Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and how our Government is trampling on our Personal Property Rights. His speech also contained this powerful quote from George Washington:
Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
You are correct, Mayor Mazziotti, it's hot in July and August, and Harold is a paraplegic in a wheelchair, who simply wants water!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
After interviewing Harold Westlake at his home on Wednesday, August 12th, Orlando's Fox 35 News published this story on Thursday, 13 Aug 2009, 12:09 AM EDT:
Disabled Man Battles City Hall
Harold Westlake joined Florida F.A.C.E.OFF. after he answered our Newspaper Ad in the Thrifty Nickel:
Harold is now the Florida F.A.C.E.OFF. Palm Bay DeGroodt Area Organizer and is busy educating and helping the many other Aggressive Code Enforcement Abuse Victims in his territory, which he outlined for us using the boundaries that he can reasonably cover in his motorized wheelchair.
Harold is still trying to resolve his own problems with the City of Palm Bay regarding a mysterious $7,000 lien that was put on his property, without his knowledge, following a Code Enforcement Action taken against him in 2005 for driving his van through his swale so that he could exit it onto his driveway, a wheelchair-friendly surface.
After being attacked by Code Enforcement for this ridiculous violation, he immediately complied, but despite that, fines continued to pile up against him. He was never notified of the accruing fines and did not discover them until he applied to get hooked up for free to Palm Bay City Water under a special program for disabled people like himself. That was when he discovered, after paying a deposit of $100, that he was not eligible because there was a $7,000 Code Enforcement lien on his property that he was unaware of.
Now, the funds for the program that Harold could have used to hook up for free to Palm Bay City Water, and has already paid $100 to apply for, have dried up, leaving Harold, who could have had the water by now if the City hadn't put a lien on his property without telling him about it, having to borrow the water he drinks from his neighbor!
Is there no end to the stupidity
of Palm Bay Code Enforcement???
(Just Asking!)
StayClassie said...
ReplyDeletePlease tell me he's going to try to get lawyer. He should either get someone to do it on contingency or ask Pacific Legal (property rights), the ACLU (due process rights) or even Legal Aid might hook him up with someone who would do it pro bono.
Simply awful.
August 15, 2009 7:25 PM
F.A.C.E.OFF. Movement said...
Hi Stay Classie!
I will get this info to Harold. He just recently got hooked up to the Internet. He has a printout of your previous advice that he has been working with. There was a big controversy about his case when Florida Today printed an article that grossly misrepresented his relationship with Florida F.A.C.E.OFF. After that his case was covered by Orlando Fox 35 News who did not misquote him and who inspired this Blogspot. Thank you for all of the great advice you have given him!!!
Alley
August 24, 2009 11:40 PM