Kimberly
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."
Kimberly
Get rid of the kid.
Get a pit bull instead.
This is a sad situation but they knew the rules. If they arre allowed to violate them why would anyone else follow them.
I do think they can give an extension so they can sell the home
but rules are rules
I think the HOA rule is unenforceable. It is illegal discrimination on the basis of age.
Yet another great example for why HOA’s should be banned.
I have to agree with you.
The courts took the girl and gave her to the grandparents. The courts can settle this................
Cute little girl. But if the grandparents of that sweety signed a contract prohibiting her, they should find a new place to live that’s more kid-friendly. A lot of elderly folks don’t appreciate whooping, yelling, adventurous kids (and you know she has friends over, she’s a kid after all). They just want a quiet place to live out their years—otherwise, they’d be living in a child-filled subdivision.
so they were supposed to say no to their grandaughter and throw her into foster care because of a rule in an old folks home? get real.
The news video stated that the grandparents offered to sell the house at below market price but the HOA disallowed that because they claimed it would bring down other home prices.
If this girl was a US flag that was not allowed per the rules would you still agree?................
They should have put their up for sale 5 yrs ago.
That being said, hopefully the judge will give them more time to sell their home
Not much of an excuse. While they won't get as much for their property, they won't have to spend as much for a another one either.
Really?
Then sue the HOA to force them to buy the home at what they claim the market value is.
Stupid, discriminatory rules are to be ignored.
Are you saying then that all “senior” communities are illegal? And if so, based on “ageism”, wouldn’t that make all senior discounts illegal too?
People buy houses in no-kids-allowed retirement communities, because they want to live where there are no kids living.
It’s a free country (somewhat still), and people still (somewhat) have a right to freely associate with people they want to associate with (you can’t avoid living with people of another race than you, at least formally, because we don’t really believe in liberty anymore).
If the grandparents didn’t mind living with other kids, they should have bought a house in a community that allowed kids.
If they DID NOT want to live with other kids when it was someone else’s kids, then they are just getting what they forced on others.
That said, I imagine this is more common than not.
Trust me, a US flag would not begin to cause a ruckus that would compare to what a healthy, exuberant child can cause. And just wait until she’s a teenage, and starts bringing her gangster boyfriends over.
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