Saturday, April 27, 2013

Pickup trucks parked in driveway

Article Courtesy of The Naples News
By AISLING SWIFT
Published April 17, 2013
— Pickup trucks parked in driveways are a no-no in many gated communities in Naples.
But when the truck belongs to a paralyzed man and it’s rigged with a wheelchair lift, making it too high and wide to fit in a garage, it falls under higher laws than condo association rules.
Instead of branding it a violation, it should have been considered a “reasonable accommodation” for 36-year-old Jason Cain, who lived in Madison Park in East Naples. Yet the condo association warned: “Make the vehicle fit or remove it from the property.”
Those are the allegations in a lawsuit filed by the state Attorney General’s Office, which has sued the Quincy Square at Madison Park Condominium Association and its former president, John Flynn, in Collier circuit court.
Unable to work out an agreement, Cain and his parents, Alice and Robert, his caregivers, moved to Sarasota.
“I was really confused and really didn’t understand why I would have complaints against me and seven or eight other truck owners didn’t,” Jason Cain said this past week as he sat in his wheelchair in his former Clemson Street neighborhood. “Then it dawned on me. Either (Flynn) thought I was a liability or just didn’t want someone in a wheelchair there.”
Just feet away, a red pickup sat in the driveway next to the condo they’d once rented.
“There’s no excuse for it in this day and age,” Alice Cain said of discrimination against disabled people. “It’s unheard of.
“We were told there was no problem with parking trucks outside,” she said of consulting with the management office before moving in. “It was just us.”
The association’s new attorney, Chris Davies of 
After surviving a 2007 motorcycle accident, former Naples resident Jason Cain found himself battling with the Quincy Square at Madison Park Condominium Association in East Naples over his wheelchair-accessible truck being parked in the driveway. The association issued several violations and filed a complaint with a state agency to have him evicted. That was halted after he and his parents, his caregivers, filed a complaint with U.S. Housing and Urban Development department, which referred it to the Florida Commission on Human Relations. The agency found he’d been discriminated against and the state Attorney General’s Office recently sued the association on his behalf.

Naples, declined to comment due to the pending lawsuit. He doesn’t represent Flynn and said the condo board voted to recall Flynn, who no longer is president.
Flynn couldn’t be reached for comment in Naples or at his Mentor, Ohio, home despite repeated attempts. The current president declined to comment.
It’s the first time since 2005 that the Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit in Collier County to correct what it considers a housing violation.
The lawsuit contends Jason Cain, who was paralyzed from the chest down after a 2007 motorcycle accident, sought a “reasonable and necessary” accommodation, but the association “intentionally and willfully” ignored his rights through illegal actions that harmed him, the public and state.
“By requesting permission to allow Jason Cain to park his wheelchair-accessible vehicle outside the garage, when defendants knew that the vehicle couldn’t fit in his garage ... Cain sought an accommodation that was reasonable and necessary on account of his handicap,” the lawsuit contends.
The denial prevented him from enjoying the condo and violated Florida’s Fair Housing Act, according to the lawsuit, which asks a judge to find the association violated the act, issue an injunction barring further violations and compensate Jason Cain.
Florida courts have treated parking requests as a “reasonable accommodation,” placing that responsibility on a housing provider, even if it involves a cost or the policy doesn’t allow assigned parking spaces or there’s a waiting list for spaces.
The lawsuit stems from a complaint Alice Cain filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. She’d snapped photos and gone door-to-door with questionnaires to gather proof that the association’s president, vice president and others parked trucks, vans and vehicles in their driveways and that other garages were used for storage — yet those residents hadn’t received violation notices.
HUD referred the case to the Florida Commission on Human Relations, which found there was reasonable cause to believe a discriminatory housing practice occurred.
That halted a complaint the condo association filed against the Cains, seeking arbitration through the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation. The association, which alleged the Cains were parking a truck outside and using the garage for storage, sought a permanent injunction to prohibit that.
The Cains’ response contended he was entitled to a reasonable accommodation.
The courts
The state said another agency had to make that determination and gave them 10 days to file a fair housing complaint with the government.
“People with disabilities aren’t asking for special treatment when they request reasonable accommodations,” said Shantae Goodloe, a HUD spokeswoman. “Ground-floor rooms, designated parking spaces and ramps may be necessary to conduct everyday activities and gain independence in their daily lives.”
* * * * *
At Quincy Square, off Davis Boulevard, rules prohibit trucks and vans from parking on driveways, except for service and delivery vehicles.
Yet the Cains say they’d checked and Guardian Property Management told them no rules prohibited that. They signed a lease in February 2010. Six months later, a violation sticker was slapped on Jason Cain’s truck, warning it must be in the garage.
Alice Cain went to the property managers, who knew their situation from their last development. She said she was assured there would be no problem.
Yet the warnings continued and more violations were added. The association’s then-attorney, Robert Samouce, wrote to warn about their trucks and another disagreement between the Cains and Flynn.
Alice Cain consulted with attorney William Morris, who wrote to Samouce, accusing the association of discriminating against a handicapped man. Morris warned that it violated the Federal Fair Housing Act and Americans with Disabilities Act and demanded that the “harassment cease immediately” or face legal action.
“Your letter is little more than an extension of harassment by the association,” Morris wrote in January 2011.
The association filed its state complaint against the Cains that April.
While Alice Cain was asking neighbors to fill out questionnaires, a neighbor who is a lawyer offered to mediate the dispute and they reached an agreement, she said, but Flynn rejected their terms.
“I wanted the board to be trained, to become educated about this,” Jason Cain said.
His mother, who said the lawsuit is about rights for the handicapped, not money, added: “We don’t want this to happen to anyone else.”

Community motto

Simply the best.  BULL SHIT!  Has spies called the ARC committee, they spy on the residents.  What the hell are they thinking, you are going to start a used car business.  They call this a gated community.  Hell anyone can drive in.  Its not a private community, its public.  The public drives on the roads and you pay for maintenance.  NO SIDEWALKS, you walk in the road.  Little short driveways.  Just enough space to park your car if your lucky.  Narrow public roads, cheap build homes, very poor design.  they have a book of covenants, approx 50 pages you must follow.   They won't tell you if your looking for a house to buy.  They force you to pay for MX, cable and security.    If you don't use it you still pay.  A lawyer was hired 2-3 years for thousands of dollars and its still on the books.  No one is interested in running for a seat.  You have no choice.  On Monday morning meetings residents go to hear what paid advertisers have to say.  Residents being attack by alligators, homes being broken into, mail being stolen, books stolen from clubhouse.  Even the developer took all the animal heads from the billiard room, and we was left to repair the damage.    Residents accuse of things they did not do.  Bingo Paul Pontious and his right hand man Joe Ferreira  has the right to call residents at their home "idiots".  He even mail letters to the spouse telling them you should leave.  On and on and this crap will never end.  "Simple the worst".

Thursday, April 25, 2013

For Sale

Yes, we can place a for sale sign in front our our new home.  Can't do that in Lake Ashton.  Can't do nothing in Lake Ashton.

Walking bridge over canal


Walking trail near private homes



Walking trail near private homes


Walking trail over looking the canal


Walking trail on the other side of the canal

Walking trail


Walking trail


This is our new community


SPIES AND FOR SALE SIGNS

Lake Ashton has the ARC committee which is a spy organization that spies on you.  Your neighbor is spying on you!  I just can't believe they can get you to spy on your neighbor.  How dumb can you get!  Well lets face it, there are a pile of idiots living in this community that has no brains and they are the ones that  E-Mail me saying to go F___ myself.  I wish these guys the same.  This is a very unfriendly community.  You can't even have a for sale sign in front of your house.  Why?  What a place to live and enjoy Florida!

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

My daily walk

It feels so good to go for a walk and you don't have to look behind your back to see if a car is coming.  I told one of the residents that Lake Ashton does not have any sidewalks.  He said to me he doesn't believe it.  No matter what I say, no one believes me.  No sidewalks in Lake Ashton and sidewalks here.

I will be posting pictures of this fatalistic 5 star community and my daily walk thru the community.  Benches, gazebos, flowers, palms, and 5 ft cement sidewalks next to a 200ft wide canal, all for the 55 + residents only,  of this community, no outsiders, this is a private community.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

ONE OF THE MANY E- MAILS I HAVE BEEN RECEIVING

We just sold our house in Lake Ashton, last week.  Thank God.  It took us 3 years to see through the smoke & mirrors.
Where is this new community you are talking about?

THERE ARE A FEW PEOPLE OUT THERE THAT SEE THE LIGHT AND  SEE THRU THE SMOKE AND THE MIRRORS.
 

My new community

The main road that enters my new community is lined with resident homes and trees but there are NO driveways leading to this entrance main road.  All homes have 40-50 ft long driveways and a deep garage.   The homes sit back 50 ft from the main entrance road and the homes have their own road in front of their home.   All roads have 6 ft wide cement sidewalks on both sides. Except the entrance road which has 8ft wide sidewalk.  The main road has a white line for bikes and has a scrip of trees between them.  The sidewalks lead to many parks with 4 or more sit down benches in each park.  They also have a very large dog park, acres wide.   They also have many bridges over water canals.  The sidewalks leads to the main canal, lined with beautiful palm trees and bushes on each side of the sidewalk.   You swear you are on an Island.  The canals are full of birds and alligators.  I just love to walk this beautiful sidewalk lined with trees, bushes and benches.  There are always someone walking on the trail and are very friendly.   This is indeed a 60 plus community where the management was thinking about the residents, not money.  No covenants, MX, CDD, patrol  security cars, golf security carts running around, or elections.  Every morning you can go to the clubhouse and have a free cup of good tasting coffee with a free USA newspaper, about a dozen on the table  from 8AM to 11AM.  We have Bingo twice a week, residents only,  public is not allowed.  Free popcorn and all Bingo cards are $5.00.  Prizes are 3-4 at $250, 2-3 at $100 and 6-8 at $50.  This community is a thousands times more friendly andv better managed and much better design than Lake Ashton.  They are building about 50-100 homes now.  There are over 1000 homes here.  This community is surrounded with beautiful homes, and a large wildlife area and another community next to us are all million dollars homes and a golf course.   Just a mile or so from RT 95, 5 miles from the ocean.  So beautiful here birds by the hundreds, many rabbits in my front yard and all the maintenance is done by the management and free water for your lawn.  We made the best decision of our lives and we will never go back to a community that is full of lies and distrust and is run with money always on their mind, not the residents,  no sidewalks, small short driveways and small garages.  A developer who takes his animals heads down for his own used, and not the enjoyment  of residents.    I will never recommend anyone to live in Lake Ashton, a community surrounded by crime, trash homes and very little to do in the area.  There are hundreds of stores and restaurants in this area and a modern Public store.  Now you know the rest of the story.  What is so damn good about Lake Ashton?  No one has been able to give me a answer!

Monday, April 22, 2013

Al Miller of Ashton Club Drive

Al Miller almost got killed by a alligator playing Golf  last year and nobody was warn by the management.  They just don't care and care less.  It bad for business and lost money.  What a hell of a place Lake Ashton is.  House break in's  mail stolen, Golf players getting bitten by alligators, Bingo players being ripped off,  and to many people living here it just didn't happen.  I give up!  How many idiots do we have that live in this community?

Weekly Stats Report

Weekly Stats Report: 15 Apr - 21 Apr 2013
Project: Lakeashtontalk@yahoo.com
URL: http://lakeashtontalk@yahoo.com

Summary


  Mon Tues Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun Total Avg
Pageloads7783627851247144664
Unique Visits5875514841246235951
First Time Visits3049282422124320830
Returning Visits2826232419121915122

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Question

How many idiots do we have in Lake Ashton that walk around with ear muffs and eye blinders and know all the answers?

Reason for leaving

I was asked why I moved!  Lake Ashton is a very corrupt management community.  All bad information is kept secret and not told to the public.  House break-ins, mail stealing, alligator attacks, windows being broken by golf balls, Bingo money being used for private use, no sidewalks, short driveways, residents being ban from clubhouse, not allowed to have charity shows, ban from using their web site, not a private community, overcharge pot luck and Bingo. on and on and on.  Yes I am happy to get the hell out of there!