Mobile home fight continues
Activists take cause to Wagon Wheel
By KATHY FERGUSON
| Article published on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006 |
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PINELLAS PARK – Owners of mobile homes from across Pinellas County are using three booths at the Wagon Wheel Flea Market to take their message of dissatisfaction to the public. They are also selling donated items there to raise money to pay for an attorney to help fight redevelopment of their parks.
On Saturday, Jan. 14, shoppers bought glassware and muffin tins while activists Leo Plenski, of Bay Pines Mobile Home Park in Seminole, and Dianne Miller, of Causeway Village in South Pasadena, handed out information about their predicament. They set up the campaign about three weeks ago and plan to continue for several months.
“Our main goal is to get people registered to vote in upcoming elections,” said Plenski. So far, about 75 have registered at the flea market. Many more, particularly seasonal, residents have signed up at mobile home parks like Bay Pines and Harbor Lights. Overall, Plenski said, about 200 have registered.
Plenski and Miller are leaders in the formation of Floridians Against Injustice to Residents of Mobile/Manufactured Homes, created to protect homeowners in nonresident owned parks. They are handing out reams of information about FAIR to increase citizen awareness.
FAIR’s goal is to organize county by county until it is a statewide organization. Members offer education, resources and tools to help protect property rights of homeowners threatened with losing their homes. They also want to develop ways to combat large rent increases and amenities reduction that many feel are designed to push residents out of their homes.
Soon the group will be fleshing out candidates’ opinions on redevelopment in general and the plight of mobile homeowners in particular. In Seminole, Plenski said, Councilor Bob Matthews and Vice Mayor John Counts are incumbents, but he’s not certain of their positions.
“We’ve never gotten any indication they weren’t for us,” he said. “But I would like to see an independent-minded person involved.”
Miller said FAIR is seeking to get an injunction against Pinellas County’s new Mobile Home Transition Program. She said commissioners have recently approved the ordinance outlining the program, “which circumvents or lowers the threshold of the state statute.”
According to Pinellas County’s Web site, the new county ordinance provides up to two years of rental assistance to displaced residents when affordable housing cannot be located. The level of affordability of the mobile home owner is determined by their gross household income and the maximum rents published annually by the State of Florida. But, Miller said, that ordinance is not extensive enough.
The Florida Statute 723, she said, “is the one statutory right that has stopped the developers from getting the rezoning they need to bulldoze our parks.
“We need to stop the county,” said Miller. “It is disgusting.” Also, differences revolve around the definition of adequate, affordable housing definitions.
The FAIR representatives can be found weekends in Row F, Booth 44, to register voters, talk to the public and sell items to battle redevelopment. A Web site, www.FAIRFL.org, headlines more information about the organization’s mission.
“I thought when I retired, I was done with meetings and activities like these,” said Plenski. “But we will be hanging in there, just chugging along.”
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Article published on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2006
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