Two nice, quiet neighborhoods in Broward County, and then beside them, the county allowed it to become a parking space for dozens and dozens of trucks. You can imagine what happened next. To see if it can be stopped, neighbors called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Forty-five-years-ago, this became the dream home for Marianne and Larry.
Mariane Schmandt: “We’ve had great neighbors. We’ve made friends, and we’ve just enjoyed living here.”
Enjoyed living here because behind them is an eight-acre stretch of property under the Florida Power & Light power lines. Land that was once owned by a nursery.
Mariane Schmandt: “John’s Plants, and he was wonderful.”
Today, none of the homeowners on either side of the land call it wonderful.
Mariane Schmandt: “A truck yard, is what we call it.”
When the nursery closed, the new property owner at 5050 Peters Road rented out space to three landscaping companies to park their trucks.
Mariane Schmandt: “Noisy trucks and Bobcats and 18-wheelers.”
We were there at 6:30 in the morning as about 40 cars with the company’s employees arrived, cranked up dozens and dozens of trucks and drove off.
Mariane Schmandt: “And our bedroom’s right out back, and you hear the truck’s backing up. The ‘beep, beep, beep’ of the trucks.”
Trucks driving through the dirt, kicking up dust, spreading it on neighbor’s cars, homes and backyards.
Mariane Schmandt: “I used to sit out there all evening. I can’t even do it anymore. At times, I can’t even breathe out there. I have [chronic obstructive pulmonary disease], and the dust is every day.”
Dumpsters with trash and piles of debris unloaded every day.
Mariane Schmandt: “They said the nursery is all right. This is not a nursery.”
Mariane has a stack of emails and the names of county officials she’s complained to.
Mariane Schmandt: “I have written to the mayor, I have written to the deputy mayor, and I’ve heard back from no one.”
And the dust and the noise continue.
Mariane Schmandt: “You hear them out there with the jackhammer, cutting up concrete.”
That day, Mariane asked the men busting the concrete to stop.
Mariane Schmandt: “‘Leave us alone. We know where you live.’ So that kind of scared me.”
For 43 years, a nice, quiet neighborhood. For the past two years, it’s a nightmare for homeowners.
Mariane Schmandt: “Now it’s frustrating. It’s sad.”
But is a dusty truck storage lot legal with homes on both sides of the property, Howard?
Howard Finkelstein: “I don’t think this is legal. You have dozens of homeowners who are suffering with noise and dirt, depriving them of the full enjoyment of their home. I think the county needs to take another look at this property. If they won’t, the homeowners can band together and sue to stop the nuisances. Not only will the trucks have to move on, but the homeowners can get money for the lost enjoyment of their lives.”
We communicated with Broward County officials over the course of several months. The short summary: The property is zoned for “agriculture and utilities.”
The property owner, Raul Torres, was given a warning about outdoor vehicle storage. He then signed an affidavit that the “vehicles on the property are owned by the nursery or the approved tenants” that have obtained “Certificates of Use from Broward County.”
The county also took the case before a special magistrate who concluded: “The use of the property is in compliance with the issued Certificate of Use.”
Now the gate to the nursery is locked. A “No Trespassing sign” on the fence. The only people allowed in: the truckers who, the county says, can rent space here.
Mariane Schmandt: “They have allowed this commercial truck yard to be put in a residential area, sandwiched between two rows of houses, and they don’t care.”
Broward County says they’ll continue to monitor the situation and respond to any complaints.
I tried to contact the owner of the property. I couldn’t find a number for him or the nursery.
Finally, we will let you know if anything changes in that neighborhood.
Got the dirt on a problem? Feel like a solution is dust in the wind? Dump it on us to see if we can truck in a solution.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN