General Discussion

bullsnarfle

(254 posts)

118. What a racket.

Wed Feb 26, 2014, 10:30 AM

Feb 2014

Our electric, water, & sewer are bundled. I live alone, and take 1 lousy shower per day; have no washing machine, dishwasher, lawn sprinklers, do not wash my car there, nada. I am at work all day, asleep most of the time I am home, at night only watch about an hour of t.v. before crashing. I hardly use enough water/electric/sewer to budge the needle...hell, once when I was paying my bill in person, the city worker looking at my usage in the computer asked me, quite seriously, "Does anyone currently live at this address?". When I told her, yes, me, she was flabbergasted.
Still, I have to pay out the ass due to 'minimum charges', basically I am paying for other people who are sucking this stuff up like a vacuum. But if I tried to live off-grid they would tag my house, and probably even find a way to take it away from me.

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Woman Living Off The Grid Faces Eviction If She Doesn't Hook Back Up [View all] HarveyDarkey Feb 2014 OP

Another story about Florida. . . B Calm Feb 2014 #1

full of rich old dickheads madokie Feb 2014 #5

Florida has a notorious robber baron for a governor Jack Rabbit Feb 2014 #29

I don't know sakabatou Feb 2014 #57

You try that in most states and anywhere there are gated communities and you will get 1monster Feb 2014 #98

UM, NOPE Not here in California. at least here in the north. Ecumenist Feb 2014 #105

The city wants the money joeglow3 Feb 2014 #2

+1. They will see this sort of thing as a threat to their business model, so to speak. nt bemildred Feb 2014 #6

Republican government does indeed want to control us Bandit Feb 2014 #28

Here's another story: I know of a family where 3 members live next door to one another. 7962 Feb 2014 #90

Isn't the minimum charge used to pay for the upkeep of the JimDandy Feb 2014 #109

When you ask why the minimum is so high, they tell you its to pay for the system 7962 Feb 2014 #115

That does sound unfair about the trash. JimDandy Feb 2014 #117

What a racket. bullsnarfle Feb 2014 #118

Sewer separation is killing a lot of cities joeglow3 Feb 2014 #119

Yet BigBiz can suck aquifers dry n/t 4_TN_TITANS Feb 2014 #113

Sold (at a great loss!) a money-pit piece of Cape Coral property in 2009 and never looked back. WinkyDink Feb 2014 #3

And, of course this is typical of the so-called 'conservative' values Stonepounder Feb 2014 #4

Is this a free nation? No. hunter Feb 2014 #7

+ 1,000,000,000 What You Said !!! WillyT Feb 2014 #10

Don't fall for it, WillyT. Always dig a little deeper. Robin Speronis is not a poor victim. NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #87

Ahhhhh, more to the story!! Thanks for that effort. 7962 Feb 2014 #91

And: "Cape real estate owner sentenced to probation in larceny case" NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #93

The Masters of the system ultimately WANT the poor and homeless to suffer AZ Progressive Feb 2014 #35

You DON'T really own your own HOME AZ Progressive Feb 2014 #38

Yep CFLDem Feb 2014 #40

I recall my Berlin Expat Feb 2014 #80

We are exempt from property taxes sammytko Feb 2014 #92

You want to outlaw CANDLES??? Piffle. kestrel91316 Feb 2014 #77

Yes, this should be embraced, but sadly ignorance and sh** often float to the top! n/t RKP5637 Feb 2014 #79

20 years ago a friend of mine had to tie in to the city water and sewer system. hobbit709 Feb 2014 #8

So why not connect to the city utilities and never use them? Jeff In Milwaukee Feb 2014 #9

They would still charge her a minimum charge every month. louis-t Feb 2014 #18

That's different... Jeff In Milwaukee Feb 2014 #21

For some it is an opiton; greiner3 Feb 2014 #19

Hmmmph...I'm sorry Ms. Speronis, but just because you are Standing on Your Ground in bkanderson76 Feb 2014 #11

No State Income Tax bpj62 Feb 2014 #12

What does she do with her sewage? n/t lumberjack_jeff Feb 2014 #13

She might have a septic tank. totodeinhere Feb 2014 #15

Septic tanks can be adequate, if there's enough property over which to spread the drainfield. lumberjack_jeff Feb 2014 #16

She Flushed It Down the City Sewer... BodieTown Feb 2014 #20

I am confused joeglow3 Feb 2014 #26

I Used to Be A Technical Writer... BodieTown Feb 2014 #30

Thanks for using the technical terms Renew Deal Feb 2014 #33

Now, could you explain packman Feb 2014 #61

Actually you can pour the bucket straight into the toilet. And it gets more pressure like jtuck004 Feb 2014 #86

We pay a separate fee for sewage. That would work in Florida too. hunter Feb 2014 #27

Except that the plumbing code has requirements for rainwater collection, composting toilets, FSogol Feb 2014 #36

Have they got to the "Innocent until proven guilty" part? hunter Feb 2014 #42

The proper way to show compliance with the building codes is to get permit when you make FSogol Feb 2014 #43

So you are an authoritarian? hunter Feb 2014 #46

I'm not either. However a city sanitary system isn't free. If is still using the system, then she FSogol Feb 2014 #50

Aaahhh what's a little cholera between friends. So long as we are FREE! CBGLuthier Feb 2014 #51

Seriously. Freedumb is on the march! FSogol Feb 2014 #62

I pay the sewage fee. hunter Feb 2014 #55

Has she the ability to pay for separate sewage disposal, without water service? hunter Feb 2014 #58

Not every area has a sewer fee. Most add it on to the water bill. FSogol Feb 2014 #59

I'm glad we are not neighbors too... hunter Feb 2014 #68

Again w/ the name calling? And where did I say anything about the impossiblility of changing laws? FSogol Feb 2014 #69

"all my sewage is recycled back into potable water"---Where the hell is THIS? WinkyDink Feb 2014 #106

Lots of places. Here's a general article... hunter Feb 2014 #120

I didn't ask "Where is it in the larger world?" I asked YOU for YOUR town because of YOUR claim. WinkyDink Feb 2014 #121

I wouldn't compost poop. Ilsa Feb 2014 #64

They do have composting toilets, which are a high tech version of an outhouse. FSogol Feb 2014 #70

Good fertilizer, but not for growing food. Ilsa Feb 2014 #100

Correct. 840high Feb 2014 #65

Wastewater Lurker Deluxe Feb 2014 #14

More on tracking wastewater Android3.14 Feb 2014 #24

George Bush was applauded when he went off grid... TeeYiYi Feb 2014 #17

I remember this. But rules are different for the wealthy. nt valerief Feb 2014 #22

Hopefully this woman's attorney... TeeYiYi Feb 2014 #23

Lucky you! nt valerief Feb 2014 #25

The "ranch" was also in a rural area with no services WolverineDG Feb 2014 #67

I bet she doesn't have a bundle of cable and phone service either NightWatcher Feb 2014 #31

I told Comcast to quit billing me for -$0.04 or I'd rip their cable out of MY tube. hunter Feb 2014 #73

I just checked the federal laws and... TRoN33 Feb 2014 #32

Being grid-tied is not an uncommon requirement. It is unfortunate that she did not realize GreenPartyVoter Feb 2014 #34

I researched the idea of going off-grid justiceischeap Feb 2014 #39

Some regulations are useful, but others do leave me scratching my head. GreenPartyVoter Feb 2014 #45

Some are designed to keep poor people out of the neighborhood. n/t PoliticAverse Feb 2014 #53

Actually, she was very deeply involved in real estate, with blogs and DBAs. NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #96

Oooohhh... This could get really interesting! GreenPartyVoter Feb 2014 #101

This woman thought she could scam people Jenoch Feb 2014 #104

She is skirting the issue a little by using the camp showers Boom Sound 416 Feb 2014 #37

You DON'T really OWN your own home AZ Progressive Feb 2014 #41

You may own your home... druidity33 Feb 2014 #94

Uh, where does she use the toilet? WolverineDG Feb 2014 #44

She may have a holding tank w/leach field. PotatoChip Feb 2014 #47

septic tanks in the city dont Niceguy1 Feb 2014 #54

Yes, but she needs to pay for those services just like everyone else WolverineDG Feb 2014 #66

No disagreement from me PotatoChip Feb 2014 #76

90% of my trash goes into the recycling bins or our compost heap. hunter Feb 2014 #48

How does that work? PotatoChip Feb 2014 #49

I pay for sewage service... hunter Feb 2014 #56

Sounds like a good approach for water conservation. (nt) PotatoChip Feb 2014 #63

Purple pipes secondvariety Feb 2014 #72

It's potable water in this case. hunter Feb 2014 #78

The municipality secondvariety Feb 2014 #89

How about someone with a compost pile? quakerboy Feb 2014 #103

Florida! Liberal_in_LA Feb 2014 #52

The corporation has to get paid! blackspade Feb 2014 #60

I feel that if ones land Munificence Feb 2014 #71

i agree. as long as you aren't imposing it on children, the no water thing... ejpoeta Feb 2014 #114

Hillbilly drifters living "off the grid" destroyed the ground water where my grandparents lived Sen. Walter Sobchak Feb 2014 #74

In my great grandma's case it was wealthier "backpackers" and tourists with money. hunter Feb 2014 #83

Another day... discntnt_irny_srcsm Feb 2014 #75

It is all about what everything is all about - GREED! liberal N proud Feb 2014 #81

We all know Curmudgeoness Feb 2014 #82

"The Cape Coral resident said she will dispose of waste just as dog owners do for pets." NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #84

I lived there in 1981-82 and I miss it in some ways. Systematic Chaos Feb 2014 #107

I like the water theme, but like you it's not secure from ocean rise or tidal surges. NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #108

It's about CONTROL and showing her who she belongs to. ileus Feb 2014 #85

I'm siding with the city on this one jmowreader Feb 2014 #88

Robin Marie Speronis has a past. She's a crook with a crooked past. NYC_SKP Feb 2014 #95

how long before shit like this happens to you if you don't watch television? Kali Feb 2014 #97

I could live like that at my house madville Feb 2014 #99

Good to know when I finally Shankapotomus Feb 2014 #102

Her lawyer is the guy who foreclosed on the Bank of America. Jim Lane Feb 2014 #110

LOOK OUT!!! DANGER!!! OTHERS COULD DO THIS TOO!!! (Mob enforcers dispatched). Spitfire of ATJ Feb 2014 #111

I think she needs to hook the guy up to the solar batteries flobee1 Feb 2014 #112

I read several accounts of this and one critical detail's often left out: IrishAyes Feb 2014 #116