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Neighborhood Alert

6/14/2020

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:

Under the City Code, “short-term” rentals of less than 30 days are allowed only 3 times per year. If you see a property being used repeatedly for short-term rentals, please contact a member of the VIHA Board. We will follow up with the City, who enforces the city codes.
If there is a vacant property on your street, please notify the owner or the SPPD if you see anything that appears to be unusual. Note that phone numbers for all owners, including absentee owners, are listed in the VI Homeowners Directory that is distributed to all VIHA members.
Borrowing from the TSA, ‘if you see something, say something.” Call the SPPD non-emergency line 727-893-7780 or dial “911.” Both of these incidents were addressed thanks to the vigilance of our neighbors.

Thanks again for your support and please let me know of any further questions.
Rich Scanlon
VIHA President
[email protected]
727-560-3655

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June 2020 State of the Isles President's Letter

6/2/2020

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Dear Venetian Isles Neighbor:

The world, the nation and Venetian Isles have all had to deal with effects of COVID-19 and it has impacted our lives in ways that we could never have imagined a few short months ago. I hope that you and your families have remained safe during this period. Although we all hope to return to “normal” ASAP, please continue to stay safe going forward.

As many of us have been “staying home to stay safe” it has been great to see so many people walking, jogging and biking through VI enjoying the great weather of the past several months. VI residents have found ways to remain connected while physically distanced, including cul-de-sac parties and the fabulously successful weekly “VI Food Truck Friday” event. This event is shifting to monthly with the next two events scheduled for June 19 and July 17. Many thanks to Brooke Palmer Kuhl and Craig Kuhl for coordinating this great event. As always, please check www.ourvi.org for details.

Congratulations to all the “VI 2020 Grads!!!” Whether it was grade school, high school or college your accomplishment was significant and although your graduation day was not what you had hoped, we all want to celebrate your achievements. Thanks to Lindsey Germann for honoring VI grads in the June issue of “Life on the Isles.”

We’ve had to cancel a number of VI events that we hope to reschedule later this year including: Neighborhood Garage Sale; New Resident Orientation; Neighborhood BBQ Cook Off; Golf Tournament; VI Night at the Trop; and Octoberfest. Volunteers are always welcome and appreciated. If you’d like to volunteer with planning these events or you have ideas for other events, please email us at [email protected].

We will also look to hold “VIHA Board in the House” meetings in each block within the community to hear about the things that you think the Board should pursue.

We have had 17 families move into VI since January 1. I’d like to welcome all our new residents and I hope you have been able to meet able to meet some of your new neighbors. Remember, Hurricane Season has officially started – be PREPARED!!!!

Stay safe and keep checking www.ourvi.org for details upcoming events.

Rich Scanlon
VIHA President
[email protected]

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Neighborhood Alert

June 2020 State of the Isles President's Letter

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