🚀 go-pugleaf

I am a mason of over two decades that has recently purchased a home in Port 
Richey, FL.

Soon after moving into the home I noticed termites had all but eaten the 
frame of a garage door (the tin door was already in disrepair aside from the 
damage to the wood frame or as a result of the damage of the wood frame).

On a windy day the door would collapse inside the garage and upon one of 
those occasions I decided enough was enough and murdered the termites with 
boric acid, hauled the garage door to the dump, and installed a concrete & 
steel reinforced concrete block wall in its place (along with a simple steel 
access door to the old garage.

Soon thereafter I received a ticket for $50.00 + double fines.

Having worked in all but three states in this country I was astounded, 
especially after reading the codes online, as to why I ought to be extorted 
this way.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the dictionary definition of a "structural" wall 
is still any wall that is load bearing (the garage door was never load 
bearing, and for that matter anything I put beneath the bondbeam is not load 
bearing, as it is self-supporting.

Taking it one step further.....let's say a hurricane should blast through 
here....what would you suppose would be safer to stand behind? The garage 
door of tin and damaged wood frame, or the concrete block with steel and 
grout-filled cells?



Which leads me to the impetus behind this letter. Could you finally inform 
me as to which avenue I can take to rectify the inappropriate fines and 
codes (not exclusive of my scenario; how can I address them?).


There's a few areas I'd like to address in a more formal arena (such as: why 
is it not requiring a permit to put up a wooden fence yet a block fence 
requires we not only pay $100.00 per linear foot + $5.00 for each additional 
$1k + $30.00 zoning "fee" + $25.00 Review "fee" + the cost of a stamp of 
approval from an engineer on a simple 4' non-bearing, non-retainer high 
wall?). Not even in California is this applicable (north or south!).

Basically I'd like to address some issues because it seems to me that "we 
the people" are being robbed without a gun here and before I die I'd like to 
change something for the betterment of my fellow men (as opposed to 
profiting by manipulating them; or blindly standing behind rules for the 
profiteering of a select group of "leaders").

Pardon the tone of this letter....but if you're a resident of Florida you 
are probably aware of some of the other money grabbing schemes that are 
occurring with taxes and insurance, etc.



Respectfully,

Kenny Hendrick
727-565-2177