City condemns man's purple house

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Thursday, November 13, 2003

[JohnHuang2]

PRIVATE IMPROPERTY
City condemns man's
purple house
Gives homeowner 3 years to change to more muted color

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Posted: November 12, 2003
3:00 p.m. Eastern

© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

A South Florida city has order a man to repaint his house an acceptable "muted" color after he had it painted purple and gold in a show of pride for his college fraternity.

The city of Lauderhill, Fla., passed a new law that controls the colors residents can paint their homes and compels the man to repaint within three years, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

City commissioners' first pass at the new law gave residents five years to repaint, but that was deemed too lenient by some. Only homeowners who can prove financial hardship will be granted the full five years, the paper reported.

"I almost jumped out of bed when I read we'd have to wait five years for someone to repaint a purple house," Commissioner Wally Elfers said during Monday's meeting, according to the paper. "My God, that's a lifetime."

After the man's neighbors complained to City Hall about his new paintjob, officials contacted the homeowner asking him to repaint using a more muted color. The man refused, saying he had paid professional painters to do the work.

The report says a consultant will help the city create a color palette with hundreds of shades from which homeowners can choose. Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the palette in January.

"You have to set a certain tone within your neighborhood," Assistant City Manager Desorae Giles-Smith told the paper. "It's a nice house. Clean. Nice landscaping. It's just a really different color."

[JohnHuang2]

Thursday, November 13, 2003

Quote of the Day by buffyt

[goldstategop]

So much for private property rights. This law is unconstitutional. The owner should get a lawyer and sue to have it overturned.

[Political Junkie Too]

I lived in Lauderhill in the mid-1970's. It is where Inverrary is located, the home of Jackie Gleason and his golf tournament. I understand that the demographics of the area have changed since I lived there, as the more affluent people moved west to Weston and other similar exclusive developments.

-PJ

[goldstategop]

Rich liberals who want bleak Soviet style housing developments. Nice touch!

[Prime Choice]

So much for private property rights. This law is unconstitutional. The owner should get a lawyer and sue to have it overturned.

Amen to that! Why doesn't the city spend its time and money going after criminals instead of lawful property owners. Sheesh!!

[clee1]

I see a whole new bureaucracy in the making: the Lauderhill Paint Color Enforcement bureau.

They'll have 10 city employees that do nothing but ride around in city vehicles. When they find an illegally colored house, they'll kick down the door and drag the homeowner off to jail. When he/she is locked up, the city will send a crew to repaint the house in an "approved muted color" and will send a bill for $25,000, which must be paid in 90 days or lien will be filed.

Gimme a break!

[Moonman62]

I understand that the demographics of the area have changed since I lived there, ...

It's been a leader in crime for as long as I can remember along with Lauderdale Lakes. I believe Inverrary is on the very outskirts. The local governments are trying to improve the area.

[Moonman62]

So much for private property rights. This law is unconstitutional. The owner should get a lawyer and sue to have it overturned.

If the color of the house wasn't visible beyond the property line, then you'd have a point.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

hmmm, i guess he is a LSU fan?

[Moonman62]

Amen to that! Why doesn't the city spend its time and money going after criminals instead of lawful property owners. Sheesh!!

Probably because there isn't enough time and money to take care of all the crime in Lauderhill. Once an area becomes infested with crime, many different approaches are needed.

[Political Junkie Too]

Inverrary's main entrance is at the corner of 56th Ave and Oakland Park Blvd. I just looked at the city website. The Inverrary waterfall at the entrance is the main photo of the town. They polled the people asking how they felt about changing the name to Inverrary. 60+% said to keep the current name. They also want to build a cricket stadium. When I lived there, they were still paving Oakland Park Blvd out to University Drive.

-PJ

[Moonman62]

They'll have 10 city employees that do nothing but ride around in city vehicles. When they find an illegally colored house, they'll kick down the door and drag the homeowner off to jail.

Read the article again. It was the neighbors who complained. If your property value dropped $20,000 overnight, maybe you would understand.

[HiTech RedNeck]

If they're looking for a way to 'get him' it might be through his mortgage, if it contains a clause saying the occupant musn't do something that cuts the value of the property.

[GeronL]

3-5 years!? hahahahaha

[dasboot]

Some smart social psychologist will give this emerging phenominon in American society a cool name and write a book about it; y'know, that thing that occurs when a people, tyrannically set-upon by forces they cannot alter, become consumed with tyrannizing others...kinda establishing their place in the pecking order?

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Yo Yo Ma commented on this very thing a few years ago, to wit: "I've lived and traveled in the world's worst tyrannies, but this is something 'special' you got here!" [paraphrased....about not being allowed to smoke during rehearsal at a concert hall]

[clee1]

Great! So now all my neighbors get a say in what I do with my property because of their property values?

OK, so my all-white neighborhood gets to veto me selling my house to a black family? I didn't think so.

This is the same slippery slope that the current wave of Emminent Domain abuses is on: Private property rights are trampled "for the good of the community". After all, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, right?

Welcome to the USSR, comrade.

[Moonman62]

Great! So now all my neighbors get a say in what I do with my property because of their property values?

If you're breaking a city code they do.

OK, so my all-white neighborhood gets to veto me selling my house to a black family? I didn't think so.

In South Florida selling to a black family has no effect on property values.

This is the same slippery slope that the current wave of Emminent Domain abuses is on: Private property rights are trampled "for the good of the community". After all, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one, right?

In some cases that's true.

Welcome to the USSR, comrade.

There's a difference. There are still places in America where you can paint your house purple and green, and breed rats in your yard. In fact that's where I hope you live and where you will stay. Code enforcement does keep up property values. There was no such thing as property values in the USSR.

[clee1]

If the law was in force when he painted it, maybe so.

I thought ex post facto laws were unconstitutional on their face.

[Moonman62]

I just looked at a map and Inverrary is much closer to Sunrise and Lauderdale Lakes than it is to the center of Lauderhill, even though Lauderhill is the official address. Parts of the Inverrary golf course are right across the street from the Sunrise Country Club.

[TheSpottedOwl]

YES!!!!!!!

Want to bet that he's having problems with a neighbor in the first place?

I've been thinking of painting the family mausoleum purple and hospital green, since the cops still come out everytime the neighbor from hell runs out of legal crack. Yes, I can see it now. Then that freaking bitch will really have something to complain about!