Posted on 10/23/2009 8:53:41 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Pinellas Park, Florida-- A six year old girl sent to live with her grandparents as a baby is now being evicted from her home, for being too young.
The grandparents, Jimmy and Judie Stottler, live in a Pinellas Park retirement community that doesn't allow children. The Home Owners Association now wants the child removed.
"For some reason, there's a few, just a few who don't want Kimberly. And I just don't get it," said Judie Stottler.
The granddaughter was taken from her home at just six months old after the state discovered her mother was abusing drugs. She's lived with her grandparents against the rules ever since.
The family says they want to move out of the neighborhood, but by the time they put their home up for sale, the housing market crashed.
"They have no more assets to go out and purchase a rental property," said attorney Robert Eckard who is representing the family free of charge. "If they sell the home they can move. If not, they're homeless on the street."
The H-O-A president has been quoted saying he is only trying to enforce the rules. And while some residents argue the rules need to be followed, others suggest a compromise.
Either way, it will be up to a judge to decide what happens to the six year old next.
If the grandparents are unable to sell their home, the granddaughter could be sent to foster care.
That's something the Stollers say they will never let happen.
"They will have to drag me out in handcuffs and tear her from my arms," promises Judie Stoller.
"I'm not putting her out on the streets."
Wow quite a rant for an obsevation on my part. This is a situation that requires some compromise. Lighten up.
If you are the individual that put “Poor Kim” in quotes, then I call you on that. If not, then my comments were not directed at you. It does imply’s this 6 year old girl created this problem and no one should feel pity for her. She is the victim here, bad mother, no father. Just throw her on the street huh? Where is your compassion as a conservative. Liberal’s employ the false compassion. Seems that is more your style.
HOA’s are Nazi Organizations. Just take the example of a lein put on the home of an elderly woman in Houston because she was late on her due’s. I can’t fix my own car on my own property because of HOA rules. Oh but I do anyway, out of principle. Some things are just not right. So if you are going to whine like a liberal, keep your thoughts to yourself, or at a minimum direct them else where. I have no more time for you.
Funny thing is, they don’t even look ‘elderly’. Like maybe late 50s, early 60s, although I don’t know for sure.
I just found an article from 2007 that stated the HOA was trying to get them to remove the child or move, the little girl was 3 at the time. So this has been ongoing and they’ve known about it for at least 3 years. Says their house was worth $189,000 and they dropped the price by 10k to try to sell it. I’m surprised that a house in that area didn’t sell right away at 179k, 3 years ago.
Check out the date on this article. 2007. The HOA apparently has not waited until the child is 6 to do something about this:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/200604/florida_community_sues_to_evict_three.html?cat=54
Since then, the real estate listing shows the asking price is now $124,00.00.
Any 55+ Florida Freepers out there looking to make a good deal and help out a little girl and her grandparents?
Point out the specificity, please.
“One thing I’m not sure about is that the HOA can stop them from selling at a certain price. Never heard that before.”
In twenty years as a real estate broker, I have never heard of such a clause.
Further, my guess is the HOA has a paper trail of warning them about the violation, since near the beginning.
Quit blaming the HOZA, quit blaming the other property owners. They just want their rights enforced.
Blame the scumbag mother. She’s the one who is screwing up her daughters life, screwing up her parents lives.
“I don’t really qualify because I’m not really a pro HOA type of home-owner.”
Thanks for the reply. I agree with you. the HOA should purchase the house.
I was hoping for input from the more pro HOA posters here.
I’ve read some of their posts, and their position is the “The rules should be enforced”. However that seems overly simple. What, in their opinion should be done until these people can sell their house. The HOA can’t legally evict the homeowners just the 6 year old. So are there really people here who think that putting a family on the streets, or a 6 year old in foster care is reasonable.
The house is on the market and the story said even with the reduced price there weren’t any offers so far.
“I’m surprised that a house in that area didn’t sell right away at 179k, 3 years ago.”
If this story was already in the news I’m not surprised the house didn’t sell.
Call me on that any time.
You once again refuse to think carefully before jumping to conclusions.
What the quotes indicated was that the article is DELIVERATELY biased, a prime example of horrible reporting that did not even bother to present the issue.
If you asked, and you didn't --- one other example of how easy for you to jump to conclusions that have nothing to do with reality --- I would tell you that my heart breaks for this little girl. And I am really angry at those that are at fault: her parents and grandparents. Like you, they did not bother to think when taking her: what will happen if the girl is evicted not tomorrow but after a few months or years, what will that do to her?
"It does imply’s this 6 year old girl created this problem"
Pure nonsense. Nobody said anything like that about her. And I would not sat that about any child: it's the guardians --- parents and grandparents --- that are responsible for everything that happens to her.
"She is the victim here, bad mother, no father."
YOu are absolutely correct. And, please add: irresponsible grandparents. If their family goes through unusually hard circumstances, they should've petitioned the association for an exemption; move; do whatever is necesary in a RESPONSIBLE manner.
"Where is your compassion as a conservative?
I addressed your comments and their enormous immorality. I did not wrote an essay that would cover ALL aspects of the story.
I really don't mind your inability to think; G-d gave us all but limited abilities. But wrongly accusing innocent people and refusing to think about that even when this is pointed out to you is YOUR MORAL CHOICE.
There is not a conservative bone in your body.
Since you chose to defame me as well, I shall not write to you again. Kindly refrain from writing to me as well.
In April of 2005, Judie Stottler complied with an agreement that she would abide by the Great Lakes association's rules by October 1st of 2006.
Seems fair.
In fact, Judie planned on releasing Kimberly back into her mother's custody. But Melanie Broffman fled without a word, and was not heard from until recently.
That was April 2007. Seems someone needs to nail that girls feet to the floor.
I wonder if some of the neighbors said “Oh, they can’t sell it for _, it’ll cause our values to drop!” and after a few repeats, it became ‘the HOA won’t allow them..’. I thought that was kinda over the top, even for a HOA. And from the article I posted, you’re right, the paper trail goes back several years.
I feel for them, I really do. Although I wish they weren’t subjecting the girl to being on TV and in the media while they’re talking about keeping her is going to make them homeless. Or else they’ve got to ‘get rid of her’. Either way, the little girl has got to be scared stiff that she’s either going to lose her grandparents or that she’s to blame for all this. She really shouldn’t know anything about it, this should be discussed away from her and she shouldn’t be paraded to the media.
RWGInger, please ignore THEFACTOR's nastiness. Some people on this forum think that the length of their membership on FR makes them smart. They usually use the "newbie attack" (which no longer even applies to you) when they have nothing to say. So please read thefactor's post just in this way: he screams at the top of his lungs that he has nothing to say.
That is exactly right. As much as I am sympathetic to their difficulties, they had plenty of opportunities to solve the problem. They chose to continue to show irresponsibility. They sneaked in the girl illegally and continues not to think about consequences for years.
And now we are supposed to be angry not at them but at the association?
“So, your in favor of granting to a few the power to make these people homeless simply because they are raising a 6 year old grandchild to avoid having her be placed in foster care? That’s heartless.”
There are a lot of people losing their homes, due to foreclosure.
IOW the contracts are being enforced; nation of laws, that stuff.
Obama and his bunch are on your side. They think it is “heartless” for people to be homeless.
Hence all their efforts to help people that do not make their mortgage payments, as promised and contracted for accordingly.
But in a 55+ Active Adult community, the HOA and age guidelines are set there way before anyone ever moves in. People know that when they’re looking at one of these communities, that’s why they’re looking to buy into one of them. That being said, I’d never move into any HOA community, 55+ or not. I like my freedom. My mother on the other hand, loved it.
you know as well as i do that people say that all the time around here. if you disagreed with him you would have said the exact same thing i did, with perhaps a "welcome to FR" thrown in for good measure.
get off that horse you came in on. that statement was about 160 posts ago. feel free to read the rest of them.
and if you agree with him, so be it. his inital statement was basically "rules are rules" not taking into account that there is an actual child involved in this case. seems to be going around a lot lately.
Where in the HELL have I posted that I think that people who have lost their homes due to forclosures caused by their own stupidity should be bailed out by the taxpayer? No where, that’s where. I do not have a clue where you’re coming from here.
I just read the article you posted. The family didn’t buy the house they inherited it. The house has been for sale since 07. No buyers even with the reduced price.
So pro HOA posters I ask again. What’s a reasonable solution.
wow.
Not in my parents 60+ community. Residents must be over 60. I think they put that in specifically to address the Peter Pan syndrome.
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