Posted on 02/07/2006 1:09:32 PM PST by SwinneySwitch
Valley Briefs
HARLINGEN — The state is suing a Cameron County developer for selling residential land plots with-out water and sewage service in violation of laws meant to stop the spread of shanty towns known as colonias, Attorney General Greg Abbott said Monday.
Harlingen resident Eric Solis, developer of Toribio Estates, is accused in the lawsuit of illegally selling four residential lots without obtaining required approval from county officials and of failing to install or guarantee water and waste water services.
Solis could not be reached for comment. A phone number at his last known address was out of service.
Under anti-colonia laws strengthened in 1995, Solis could be fined $10,000 to $15,000 for each of the lots.
Paco Felici, spokesman for the attorney general’s office, said this was the third time Abbott’s office was using the anti-colonia statutes to go after a developer.
As of Nov. 30, 2005, the state has spent about $505 million bringing such services to the colonias. It is the largest of several public and nonprofit programs that have been doing so, Water Development Board spokeswoman Carla Daws said.
David Garcia, assistant director of the Cameron County Department of Transportation, said they began working with Abbott’s office on the case about two years ago.
He said other alleged colonia developers also have been identified.
“There’s a lot of people out there that make a mistake or don’t know the process, but these have not been identified on just one or two cases,” Garcia said. “These are people that have periodic infractions, have a history.”
Colonia Ping!
Please FReepmail me if you want on or off this South Texas/Mexico ping list.
Colonia is Spanish for colony.
"You build it and they will come." Hear that in some movie a while back?
Well, in this case, they are talking about the PC local, state and national governmental agencies (seeking votes)falling over themselves to provide any public service or infrastructure that will garner political power.
I just love the TV newsbabe interviewing a guy standing in his own sewer waste, trash piled up to the roof of the house and babies tumbling out of the broken front door, whining about how they need sewer, streets, potable water and any money that they can bleed out of the taxpayers.
The newsbabe never asks "why did you move here knowing that these services were not established?"
In this case the developer is the original owner. He sold the lots without improvements and county approval.
"A phone number at his last known address was out of service."
I'm glad Texas seems to be cracking down. What usually happens is these damn colonia plots are sold to illegals and recent immigrants and they have no services. The purchasers build their shacks and hovels.After a while Texas and the county become appalled at the squalor, they upgrade water, dirt roads and sewer and the taxpayer ends up picking up the tab
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