Cape Coral Woman Off Grid, Kicked from Home 4 sayin so on TV - internat'l property maintenance code

The women, Robin Speronis, told her story to WFTX-TV who featured her lifestyle on the local news. The day after her story aired, where they talked about her “Off Grid” lifestyle, the City of Cape Coral sent code enforcement officers to post “notice to vacate” signs on her property.
Speronsis, a widow who lives in the home by herself, is now facing eviction because she chooses to live without being hooked into the grid. She told WFTX-TV, “Where is the justice? Why did they choose me,” she asks. “…because I was exercising my First Amendment rights of free speech in discussing living off the grid.”

offgridsurvival.com...

i had first heard this on the Power Hour radio on the short wave and they mentioned it was partially justified by the following ...if or if not this is still scary stuff...Nude WiRld Odor wise

2012 INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE

PREFACE

Introduction

Internationally, code officials recognize the need for a modern, up-to-date property maintenance code governing the maintenance of existing buildings. The International Property Maintenance Code®, in this 2012 edition, is designed to meet this need through model code regulations that contain clear and specific property maintenance requirements with required property improvement provisions.
This 2012 edition is fully compatible with all of the International Codes® (l-Codes®) published by the International Code Council (ICC)®, including the International Building Code®, International Energy Conservation Code®, International Existing Building Code®, International Fire Code®, International Fuel Gas Code®, International Green Construction Code™ (to be available March 2012), International Mechanical Code®, ICC Performance Code®, International Plumbing Code®, International Private Sewage Disposal Code®, International Residential Code®, International Swimming Pool and Spa Code™ (to be available March 2012), International Wildland-Urban Interface Code® and International Zoning Code®.
The International Property Maintenance Code provisions provide many benefits, among which is the model code development process that offers an international forum for code officials and other interested parties to discuss performance and prescriptive code requirements. This forum provides an excellent arena to debate proposed revisions. This model code also encourages international consistency in the application of provisions.

law.resource.org...

I put this in survival because if they can take your home for
TALKING ABOUT LIVING OFF THE GRID WHILE LIVING OFF THE GRID
Where is that going to leave the survivalists who start before the grid goes down?
or
What happens to the people who live off grid after the SHTF and the continuance of government dudes show up to
eat thier lunch?

tried search and i hope this is the right forum

I had heard this story somewhere else and it makes me want to vomit.
Thanks for posting it here.
Why would anyone support a government that does things like this?

reply to post by butcherguy


my thoughts too BG
i just spent months living off grid up on georgian bay to get solid instruction and experience with a life long expert friend of mine...he calls them "globalist own it all" types that are always looking into his property to see if there is something to call the township on
the DICKTATERS

I've experienced this myself. I had no electricity and no water connections and the cops and code enforcement kept trying to kick me out saying my living conditions were unsafe even though I lived perfectly well.

Always get a kick out of how being homeless is better than being off-grid to these people.

The home was within city limits and I was only renting at the time so my options were limited. I reluctantly "hooked up" to get them off my back and later purchased a home far away from any code enforcement though I'm still not immune. The only thing saving me from them now if the fact that my property is not wanted by anyone for anything and I don't have children. If I had children the state would be so far up my ass they'd be cataloging my meals before I could pass them.

Out of one side of their mouth the state encourages conservation and saving and on the other side they come down with armed patrols and threats of eviction and confiscation if you don't sign on to supplied utilities.

In the end it's just simple control the state wants.

I live within 20 miles of this woman and wish she had just stayed out of the lime light. I happen to be on the grid in my home down here, but am considering going off the electrical at least. Seems Fl. Light and power is going to penalized me for not allowing smart meter on my place.

If in the world here in the usa you want off the grid you need to do what I did with my home in the north. First I learned, never support or live in an area that supports zoning. In kearney twp. up north they actually took me to court because they did not like the little cabin I built and this is after 10 years standing and we never lived in it. They and the court denied me our constitutional rights of statute of limitations on the fully permitted structure, we could not afford to carry the fight to higher courts. Thus we had to tear it down.

Now to how to live off the grid. We found a property within six miles away from this twp. and in an area of no zoning. We looked at county rules and so disassembled the little home and re-built it on skids, connecting no part to the soil nor even moving any soil in the process. We pump from a creek, have solar and use composting toilet away from the little home. This is primitive but works great, stay away from all governing units, slip through loop holes you find and don't for Gods sake tweak// their nose. Yes, we have been looked at but according to one whom came to our home, we are minimalists.

It is not the first story I hear of people living off thew grid and that were evicted AFTER they talked about it in the news.

It gives bad ideas, so it must be a no-no.

...

I'm about 90% "off grid", it all depends on where you live and what your cities/states building codes are like. Here, we can't build a home without it having an electrical utility connection, you have to get a temp pole and panel. Then you can't get an occupancy permit without a grey water system. The electrical utility requirement is superfluous, but the grey water system does make sense, if you live in a city with neighbors. For a property I own I wanted to use a clovis composting toilet, and collect rain water with filtration for other uses. City would not budge, no matter what I brought to the table to convince them otherwise. Ultimately they won as they insisted a grey water system was necessary to handle waste and rainwater runoff, without impacting neighbors properties.

Another factor about utility connections most people aren't aware of is if you are building on or near protected waterways, marshes, or flood zones. The codes require a grey water system that can remove waste water without contaminating the water table. And it seems nomatter where you go, there are more protected zones.

It's an uphill battle, more cities are adopting stricter codes, at some point I feel like I'll have to move to Montana (no codes there) and screw even obtaining permits.

PS: never heard of the "International maintenance code" being adopted anywhere, can anyone shed a light on this or how it's being applied?

reply to post by Danbones


I know some people may not have the choice because of finances but where you choose to go off grid makes a big difference, where I am at there a lot off grid and like my self just reduce your in take with off grid techniques to the point of just paying a service charge.

reply to post by Danbones


How long until people are incarcerated for not being able to keep up maintenance on their bodies if they can't show taxable income?

Off the grid sounds find if local residential codes allow for it. If she's in a zoned area though (and she is) where those zoning regulations prevent what amounts to primitive camping in a family dwelling, then she can join the modern world or move elsewhere where that style of living is welcome or at least, not against the local laws for residential living.

This ran back in December here too, and has more perspective for what happened with this woman. I don't bring it up to say "Already posted!', since time alone makes that moot. I just share this for more information to see on it.

Widow Faces Eviction In Fla. City For ‘living Off The Grid’

That runs back to a story at The Blaze.

It's an interesting story, but again, live where the living you seek is legal and allowed....so those who don't want to be around a KOA campground for neighbors don't have to deal with it. The whole reason we have zones and regulations defining them, IMO.

The condensed version of the maintenance code is as follows, "If you aren't paying us money for utilities, we'll get people to come and kick you out of your house."

reply to post by thisguyrighthere

Always get a kick out of how being homeless is better than being off-grid to these people.

brilliant observation

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


good points Wrabbit
But what happens when the zoning changes around you like it has with the person i mentioned i stayed with off grid?
he managed to stay zoned as a hobbyfarm, but it was an brutal expensive fight
His family have been there on that homestead for over a hundred years...

and the force behind the changes in my buddies case...wealthy tourists who are there for a few weeks and a couple of weekends a year

eta
also she was fine till she did a tv interview ...thats also part of this too

Battleline
reply to post by Danbones

 

I know some people may not have the choice because of finances but where you choose to go off grid makes a big difference, where I am at there a lot off grid and like my self just reduce your in take with off grid techniques to the point of just paying a service charge.

up where i was its a 70.00 dollar charge for hydro per month- before the meter even starts to turn, and you have to pay for your own line in to your dwellings from the road, which is in this case, a mile away through rocky canadian bush...

reply to post by Danbones


You raise an equally good point when you lived there before the zoning came along to say you couldn't anymore. I'd say that circumstance flips the burden of tolerance 100%, actually.

If someone moves in next to me in my tight middle class neighborhood (tight in terms of about 8-12 feet between houses) and they decide KOA life is for them? Well...Zoning WAS here first and I'll make it my side hobby to see them run off my street by code or other legal means. Whatever. They have 0 right to run down my quality of life with their wacky experiment to learn why mankind considered civilization a GOOD development.

.......

Now..your example? Yikes...If I already live somewhere in the way I like to live and I'm comfy that way? Doom on everyone else if code doesn't say it's a problem. If code comes later? Grandfathering clauses were written with this in mind, and if one can't be written ...then a Court needs to assist the local authorities in understanding the concept of how rights extend both directions, and exclusively to one side OVER another, in some cases.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


oh yeah i agree totally..thats why this is in survival
also thats an international code thing which while it looks like a commercial org, i find that scary too

i added an eta line above
the tv aspect too...she stuck her head up

reply to post by Blackmarketeer


yeah thats agood direction
id like to know more about this code too
Is it law, is it just forms, or is it a model to base ordinances on, or is it actively influencing corporate municipal tactics for revenue collection?

reply to post by sailormon


good plan

Thats exactly why i acquired a big square construction trailer..its not a permanent structure...
up here we have zoned crown land way out in the bush mostly and you can live on it for up to 6 months in one spot, as long as you can move to the next campsite if the feds tell you to, you don't polute, and you have a real living address

also you can live on a boat here excepting the 6 months of ice...

korath
The condensed version of the maintenance code is as follows, "If you aren't paying us money for utilities, we'll get people to come and kick you out of your house."

If she were to just have the power connected and pay a water/sewage bill, she should be covered. She doesn't need to actually use either, she can turn off the water supply line at the meter and shut the main breaker and just pay the minimum "taxes" for being plugged in.

I have a decent amount of solar and wind turbine Kilowatts generated at one of my homes and it is connected via grid-tie inverters to the main. I'm not off-grid but I am almost independent in terms of power usage.

I have a transfer switch and some standard sine wave inverters connected to the same battery banks as the GTI and I pretty much only connect to the mains when I need to do system maintenance or want to run my mill and lathes as they require a bit more than the system was designed for. My monthly electric bill is usually under $18 and should be less now that I have finished replacing most of my low-energy fluorescents with even more efficient LED bulbs with better color temperature as I have never liked the fluorescent bulbs down in the 3300-4300K (Kelvin) because they always make a room feel "gray". 5600-6500K LED lighting (Daylight) is much better to my eyes.

This woman could just pay the surcharges and taxes for 0 electricity usage and 0 water usage and if someone comes knocking, let them in turn on a light bulb, flush the toilet, run the water in the sink, give them a glass of the fluorinated clear liquid from the tap and send them on their way. I believe that would satisfy the laws stating that she have the services. How/ how much she uses them should be up to her and the water bill usually covers the sewage (it has everywhere I've ever lived, anyhow) so she can dispose of her own wash-water legally.

I know it is not ideal but if she owns the house she should be able to cover minimal utility fees. It is not right but she won't be out on the street and until she decides to move, she will have to abide by the laws for her area.

reply to post by evc1shop


This is a very common attitude, that bad laws can be easily circumvented so what is the big deal. I see it put forward with respect to taxes in particular.

The big deal is that we should not have to and that it degrades the legitimacy of all other laws.