Posted on 04/03/2007 6:15:39 AM PDT by ShadowDancer
Community Sues To Oust 3-Year-Old
Child With Drug-Addict Mom Lives With Grandparents
POSTED: 3:04 pm EDT April 1, 2007
LARGO, Fla. -- A Florida homeowners group wants 3-year-old Kimberly Broffman to take her Big Wheel and hit the road.
They've banded together to oust the toddler from their Tampa-area community, which bans residents under 18.
The child's grandparents, Judie and Jimmy Stottler, admit Kimberly's been living there in violation of homeowners' association rules for three years. They said her mother has a drug problem, and isn't capable of caring for the child.
The grandparents said they live on a fixed income and can't afford to move until they sell their house. So far, there have been no takers to buy their house, even after they lowered the $189,000 asking price by $10,000 six months ago.
They also said they can't afford to hire an attorney.
Judie Stottler supports the family with her $18,000-per year dishwashing job because Jimmy Stottler is disabled and is unable to work.
Judie Stottler's friends told the St. Petersburg Times that they are worried.
"It is so ridiculous that this has gone so far," said Keith Tinsley, a cook who works with her. "She's trying her best to sell her house. It's like they are trying to force her to put Kimberly in foster care.
"These people keep batting her down and batting her down. They're just mean."
Judie Stottler said she is scared that she wil lose her house before she is able to sell it.
"We don't have any family to take us in," Judie Stottler said.
The Lakes homeowners association filed suit to oust Kimberly last month.
I agree. I’ve lived in two expensive communities in the past ten years, one with an HOA and one without. To each his own, that’s what makes this country great, but I’ll take an HOA any day. I know I’m going to keep my property in great condition, but you never know what someone else will do. In my non-HOA community, one owner built an absolutely gorgeous brick home on the back of his two acres and put an ugly metal building the size of an airplane hanger right by the road where all his neighbors had to look at it. He was perfectly within his rights, and to my knowledge nobody ever said anything to him about it, but let’s just say that none of his neighbors was very happy with that huge eyesore right in the middle of their heretofore upscale community.
We now live in an HOA community where that can’t happen. We just made sure to read the convenants in advance and made sure we could live with all of them.
I feel for these people but they knew the rules when they moved in. They need to move out and rent their house until it sells. If they’d put it on the market in 2005, they could have sold it right away at top dollar. Florida real estate was going crazy then.
Interesting point that has legal merit, but the coupld does not sound like hiring a lawyer is an option.
That's funny. Whose taxes do you think paid for your schools back when?
At least you had a Big Wheel. I was about 10 yrs too late for one. But I still tried to squeeze into my nephew’s, much to his dismay.
Yep, they could be punished for being lenient.
I despise HOA’s and would never buy into such a community myself, but these folks agreed to the restrictions when they moved there so tough luck. Having trouble selling the house? Then lower the price, and quit whining about how ‘unfair’ it all is and accept responsibility for your decisions.
You hit the nail on the head ... the HOA should do what they can to help them find a buyer. A GOOD HOA would..
Our little neighborhood has an HOA - in fact I’m president. We have very FEW restrictions and the primary purpose is to maintain the park, pool and unpaved roads with the 24.00 or 48.00 a year each property owner pays a YEAR. It’s an almost impossible task. The reason I stay on the board is because every 5 years or so someone comes along and wants to do away with the pool. We enjoy the pool ... the kids in the neighborhood have a pretty nice central place to go in the summer rather than wander and cause trouble.
Unfortunately as with most times a group of people get together the whole “power trip” thing comes into play. It’s been an interesting study in human nature ... laugh..
I can hear the sound of cracking plastic.
The world was not made by its Creator for such selfish people.
I live in Sarasota. Some of the retired people here can be ruthless.
They want everything exactly the way they want it, when they want it. And they want it for free.
Some of them.
Mercury AND asbestos? You must be one of those rich kids.
All we had was lead paint.
$10,000 after 3 years isn't all that much in the real estate market.
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Perhaps you believe they should give their house away?
No, I don't, but thanks for asking.
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Then again, the reason no one's bought it yet can probably traced back to the HOA to begin with...
Perhaps. The point is that the grandparents, failing to take into account life's situations can change, made an affirmation via legal contract they wouldn't have anyone living in their home who was under 18 years of age....then they knowingly and willingly violated that contract.
'Thou shalt not bear false witness' IS a law, and these people violated it.
As much as I detest HOAs, I believe the 3 years is an exceedingly generous amount of time.
I’ve never understood the appeals of HOAs myself, but if that’s what folks want, fine by me. I also understand the importance of rules. But just because something’s legal, doesn’t mean it’s always ethical. Seems to me these folks would be far better off expending all that energy on finding a constructive way to solve the problem. And practicing and understanding while they wait. Jeez louise, these folks need some perspective.
...practicing a little patience and understanding....
Before (oops too late already) this thread goes berserk, may I point out that there is probably a lot more to this story than we are reading here.
Dollar to a dime says facts are left out that would change the impression of the story. Why does everyone here distrust the press so much, but then assumes in a short piece like this, they are suddenly giving us high quality reporting and journalism?
Well, if they reaped what they sow quickly it would be a blessing to them. That’s called balancing the account. More likely they and we all will contunue to be cursed by such selfish attitude, and will be accountable for years and years in much harsher and longer ways for tolerating such selfish, mean, prejudiced intolerance. Look at the reaction on this thread!
These associations are made up of little wanna be communists that think they should decide how everybody else should live.
In some of these places you cannot park a $40k pickup in your drive way. It must be hidden in a garage.
It is not clear at all. You have no information to support your claims.
If you think that everyone's focus is all wrong I recommend you hustle on down there and buy that house. ...No? Why, I'm suitably outraged! How dare you place money before that child!
Don't have enough to pony up for the house? No problem - I'll come over, review your finances and decide what you should pay - how's that? You contend that your finances and how you spend your money is none of my business?
Good point. Very good point. Now how's about you keep your accusations to yourself, seeing as how you have one finger pointed our way and three of your own pointed back at you?
Frankly, it is rather paranoid and warped to think, based on what little information is provided, that the HOA has nothing better to do than conspire to drive away buyers in order to force this child into foster care.
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