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June 14, 2020
Dear Neighbor: I want to make you aware of some incidents that occurred over the past few weeks in our neighborhood so all in VI can be informed and on the lookout for similar patterns going forward. First, in late May the St. Pete Police Department (“SPPD”) were called to investigate persons who were “squatting” at 2030 Carolina, a home that was for sale and had been unoccupied but was under contract and set to close. Evidently, they gained entry by breaking a window. A neighbor noticed this activity, confronted those persons and called police. The weekend of June 5 - 7, the following occurred at 1956 Carolina Ave (“1956”), a residence that is for sale and has been unoccupied for some time: Evening of June 5 – A VI resident noticed a group of people moving into 1956. Thinking that this could be another group of squatters or a “short-term” Airbnb rental, that resident notified me. Additionally, that resident called the owner of the home, as well as the listing agent, who responded that the owner was not renting the house but was letting “friends” use it for the weekend. However, online research indicated 1956 is listed on Airbnb and has been rented out numerous times, so I asked another neighbor of 1956 to monitor the home for evidence of short-term rentals. Morning of June 6 -- The second resident reported that there had been cars coming and going throughout the night and it certainly seemed like there was suspicious activity. I passed this information along to SPPD Officer Don Herring, our community policing officer. Evening of June 6 – Officer Herring notified me that several persons (I think he said 5) who had been staying at 1956 had been arrested and charged with weapons offenses, including what appeared to be an AK-47, and drug possession. Thankfully, the SPPD surveilled the residents of 1956 and made the arrest outside of VI. In light of the events outlined above, I’d like to remind all the residents in VI of the following:
Rich Scanlon VIHA President rscanlon@ourvi.org 727-560-3655 GET PREPARED: HURRICANE SEASON STARTS JUNE 1
Visit the City of St. Petersburg Hurricane Center for preparation tips, evacuation zone maps and more at http://www.stpete.org/emergency/hurricane_center/ Sign up for emergency notifications from the City by phone, text or email at https://www.stpete.org/news/alert_stpete.php Alerts will also be posted the City's social media pages:
SUMMER FERTILIZER BAN Each year, the citywide fertilizer ban is in effect June 1-Sept. 30. Increased rainfall in the summer months can cause nutrients from fertilizer to reach water bodies and lead to environmental issues.. WATER CONSERVATION Due to drought conditions and increased demand for water, it’s important now more than ever to follow St. Petersburg’s year-round watering restrictions and eliminate wasteful and unnecessary water uses. Customers with reclaimed water are encouraged to water no more than three times per week, between the hours of 5 to 9 a.m. or 7 to 11 p.m. Unnecessary and wasteful uses of water are always prohibited. Examples include hosing down driveways and impervious surfaces, allowing water to flow unattended and using water inefficiently. Additionally, customers are required to test irrigation systems for leaks and inefficiencies. More stringent watering restrictions may be temporarily put into place if conditions worsen. Find St. Pete’s current local watering restrictions at stpete.org/wateringrestrictions. Every drop helps. Consider implementing water-saving practices. Find ideas, resources and rebate programs at stpete.org/WaterConservation. Carolina resident and President of RSBP Events, Brooke Palmer Kuhl, had the great idea to support local food trucks by inviting them to Venetian Isles while we're staying at home. The first few events have been a huge success so we plan to keep doing every Friday in May, then once a month through the summer.
Below is a schedule of events planned so far: April 17 - Street Surfer April 24 - Slammer Shop May 1 - Mr. C's Grilled Cheese May 8 - Taco Lady and Margaritas May 15 - Funnel Vision with D.J. Fresh May 22 - Just Smokin Barbeque & D.J. Eric Harding May 29 - Slammer Shop & The Hyppo Ice Pops with D.J. Eric Harding June 19 - Mr. C's Grilled Cheese & Howdy Doodles Ice Cream Wagon with D.J. Fresh July 17 - July 17 - St. Pete Taco Lady & Churros with music from D.J. Coro Aug 21- Melt Machine & Sweet Island Snow D.J. tbc Check your email and the VIHA website for menu and preorder details. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, as of 03/16/20, the DRC suspended mailing DR violation letters until further notice, other than for those properties that are listed “For Sale” to provide the appropriate notice to realtors and potential purchasers, overnight parking boats, trailers, and special purpose vehicles, and requests for plans for exterior construction without ARC approval.
Dear Venetian Isles Homeowners:
My Firm represents the Venetian Isles Homeowners Association, Inc. (the “Association”). The Board of Directors has asked me to respond to the recent Nextdoor post about the revitalization of the Declaration of Restrictions and Protective Covenants (the “Declaration”). 1. First and most importantly, this is NOT an attempt to change the corporation into a Chapter 720 “homeowners association.” The Association is, and will remain, a not-for-profit corporation subject to Chapter 617, Florida Statutes. Dues will continue to be voluntary. 2. The reference to "UNDER FLORIDA STATUTE 720.405(6)" in the package you received is because the law (Section 712.12, Florida Statutes) requires “non-720” homeowners’ associations to use procedures in Chapter 720, Florida Statutes, for revitalizing the Declaration. This does not mean that the Association is, or will be, subject to Chapter 720 for anything other than the revitalization procedures. 3. No changes are being made to the Declaration in the revitalization process. Not a single word has been changed. Dues will not be mandatory, and liens will not be placed on properties. The ONLY thing that revitalization does is reinstate the provisions of the Declaration, as written, for a 30-year period. Revitalization will not turn the Association into a Chapter 720 homeowners association. 4. Pursuant to the revitalization process, a majority of homeowners must approve the revitalization by signing and returning the consent forms you received in the package. If this is achieved in the initial 90-day period, the process requires the Association to send the results to the Department of Econominc Opportunity (“DEO”) in Tallahassee for approval. Upon DEO approval, the Association will then notify the homeowners that the Declaration has been revitalized. If you have questions, please contact a member of the Organizing Committee, whose contact information is contained in the package you received. Thank you for participating in operations of the Association. Best regards, Anne Hathorn Anne Hathorn Community Association Attorney Anne Hathorn Legal Services, LLC 150 2nd Avenue North, Suite 1270 Saint Petersburg, FL 33701 Office: 727.895.5060 anne@annehathorn.com www.annehathorn.com NTRODUCING NEW COMPOSTING PROGRAM
The City of St. Petersburg has launched its first residential composting program. Residents in single-family homes are invited to sign up the free program and minimize their environmental impact by turning kitchen and yard waste into usable, nutrient-rich fertilizer for their lawn or garden.. Participants in the composting program will receive a composting bin from the City to use in their backyard. There will be no collection service, and the resident will be responsible for feeding and maintaining the bin. Please note that to comply with the Venetian Isles Deed Restrictions, compost bins cannot be placed in the following areas:
More information and the composting bin request form can be found at www.stpete.org/composting. Questions can be directed to composting@stpete.org. Venetian Isles residents and their guests cheered on the Tampa Bay Rays as they took on the New York Yankees at our ever neighborhood baseball outing on July 5.  |
