To the editor:

I held my proverbial tongue on this subject for two weeks, but Larry Nixon’s letter “agreeing” with Phil Buchanan about code enforcement officer Crabtree’s presentation before the GPICA demands a reply.

I was present at the meeting.

Firstly, Mr. Buchanan grossly mischaracterized the presentation made by Mr. Crabtree and his supervisor, Mr. Paschall. Crabtree made a point of saying that he is not out to fine people, that only those who refuse to comply with requests to correct violations are actually fined. Even out-of-town land speculators whose property, once cleared, repeatedly gets overgrown to the point of not only looking terrible but of becoming a home to rats and other vermin get notified every time it is way past needing to be cut. Only if they refuse to do so does the county cut it and lien the property for the cost. Mr. Crabtree readily admitted that sometimes people do seem to use code enforcement to get back at a neighbor for some perceived wrong, and he clearly stated he disagrees with that use of code enforcement. He did not state, as Mr. Buchanan wrote, that “…most of the calls he gets are from people that use the zoning laws to get back at their neighbors because of some real or imagined but irrelevant grievance.” Those are Mr. Buchanan’s words, not Crabtree’s.

Secondly, it was grossly unfair to invite a government employee to speak to your organization, then attack him unfairly not only in the meeting, but in print afterwards. I expected to see a letter from a GPICA board member clarifying that Mr. Buchanan’s comments were his own and not the view of the GPICA. It would also be helpful to clear up whether or not Phil Buchanan “represents” the GPICA when he writes or speaks because there are many on this island who assume that he does.

Finally, codes are written into law for a number of reasons, including to uphold property values, protect the public health and safety and to protect the common law right to “the quiet enjoyment of one’s property”. To those who think that most violations are committed by caring, considerate people who would remedy the situation if only they knew about it, I suggest you come out of that 1960s mode of thought and step into the real world. There are plenty of people out there who think they can do anything they want to on their property and will be happy to demonstrate that belief even more if you make a complaint to them. To think that a polite request will nearly always result in a quick solution to every problem is simply naive. If Mr. Buchanan still believes this is so, I would ask him to contact the businesses which continues to nail signs such as “We buy junk cars” high up on our telephone poles all around our islands and ask them to kindly remove them. Let’s see how well that goes.

Dave Lukasek

Bokeelia