FASCISM is you must be on the Grid and at its Prime in USA

Florida Court Rules “Off Grid” Living Illegal

Robin Speronis had been living in an off-grid home for many years without incident, until she was interviewed by a local FOX affiliate in November of 2013

Image Credits: ferriday, Flickr.

by The Daily Sheeple | Joshua Krause | June 2, 2015

Robin Speronis had been living in an off-grid home for many years without incident, until she was interviewed by a local FOX affiliate in November of 2013. Shortly thereafter, the city of Cape Coral tagged a “notice to vacate” on her property, due to multiple code violations, all of which stem from the fact that her home isn’t connected to water, sewage, or the electrical grid. The city has tried to argue that she is in violation of the International Property Maintenance Code for relying on rainwater and solar panels, instead of utilities.

Since that time, Speronis has been fighting the courts for her right live off the grid. Magistrate Harold Eskins recently ruled that she can live without using water or electricity, but she still has to be connected to these utilities no matter what. Despite his ruling, Eskins admitted to the press that the code may be unfair, “Reasonableness and code requirements don’t always go hand-in-hand.” Despite his supposed sympathies, he still feels compelled to enforce the code.

Still, Speronis has decided not to give up, and will continued to defend her case in court. Even if she doesn’t win, she has no plans to leave her home. “Even if they board the house up, I’m not leaving…They did the best they could when they took my dogs and arrested me. It fell apart because I’m unshakable.”

FIGHT ROBIN FIGHT

The True American Patriots are Behind You all the Way and as they say

YOU GO GIRL

 

Partial victory in Cape Coral woman's fight to live off the grid

CAPE CORAL, Fla. - Thursday was judgment day for Robin Speronis, the Cape Coral woman fighting to live off the grid.
FOX 4's Liza Fernandez first brought you her story three months ago in a special report about Speronis' choice to live without electric service, running water or city sewer. The day after our report first aired, the city of Cape Coral tagged the home with a notice to vacate, which FOX 4's Liza Fernandez also reported.

Speronis spent the holidays and the new year in legal limbo, not knowing if she could legally be inside her own home. It took city attorneys and code compliance officers more than two months to amend the original complaint and call Speronis to a hearing on the matter.
Thursday, both parties went before a special magistrate, which ended in a partial victory for the widow who's shown she's not afraid to challenge authority.
"I'm looking forward to this coming to a conclusion," said Speronis as she and her attorney, Todd Allen, met before her code enforcement hearing at Cape Coral city hall.  
The city alleging a multitude of codes violations that boil down to three main issues: Speronis' use of rainwater as a water supply, her use of solar power for electricity and whether the home is connected to a sewer system.
The nearly two-hour proceeding was full of arguments, evidence, witnesses, clarifications and frustration.
"They're throwing everything up against a wall, running people all around city hall to grab stuff to piece together an argument," said Speronis attorney Todd Allen as the city scrambled to shore up its claims with evidence.
Finally, magistrate Harold Eskin heard enough and prepared to rule.  
He found Speronis guilty of violating codes that require her to hook up to an approved water supply.
"You have to have a water supply system that meets the international plumbing code, that's connected to the water plumbing systems in the house. And I don't find, notwithstanding the use of rainwater, that that's an adequate water supply system," Eskin explained. 
The magistrate then found Speronis not guilty of not having a proper electrical system because, he said, the city did not make its case well enough on that claim. "There may be violations of the code, but I don't think they've been properly alleged here," Eskin added. 
Eskin also found Speronis not guilty of not having a proper sewer connection, convinced by the evidence presented that the home is, in fact, connected to the public sewer system.
Speronis said she's happy with beating two of the city's three claims.  "We were there for close to two hours, so he [the magistrate] really reviewed the evidence. That's all you can really ask for," she said outside the hearing chambers. Her attorney called the proceedings a mental fistfight. "I'm impressed with the way the magistrate delved into the issues. I'm disappointed at the stops the city pulled to get some sort of conviction today," said Allen.
City attorney, Bill Buztrey, denied 4 In Your Corner's request for a comment immediately after the ruling.Speronis may appeal to the circuit court or bring a new suit.  Otherwise she has thirty days to comply with the water supply violation. And the city is free to try and cite Speronis again.

Court Rules Living ‘Off The Grid’ Is Illegal

June 1, 2015 11:22 am·

For many it’s a live long dream to get “off the grid” and live self-sufficiently. But unplugging from municipal services has been ruled illegal by a court in Cape Coral, Florida.

Special Magistrate Harold S. Eskin ruled that Robin Speronis is not allowed to live on her own private property without being hooked up to the city’s water system.

He admitted that she had the right to live without utility power, but said that her alternative power sources must always first be approved by the city.

Speronis has been taking a stand for years not against the city of Cape Coral. Back in November of 2013 a code enforcement officer attempted to evict her for “living without utilities.”

The city’s argument is that the International Property Maintenance Code was “violated” by her reliance on rain water rather than paying the city for water. The IPMC also would make it a crime for her to use solar panels instead of being tied into the electric grid.

“It was a mental fistfight,” Todd Allen, Speronis’ attorney said regarding Eskin’s review of the case. “There’s an inherent conflict in the code.”

Allen says that at this point the argument is just that Speronis must “hook up” to the grid, even if she doesn’t use utilities from it.

Speronis explains that she has won on two of three counts already, but there is still a big fight ahead of her.

“But what happens in the courtroom is much less important than touching people’s hearts and minds,” she explained.

“I think that we are continuing to be successful in doing just that and I am so pleased — there is hope! The next morning, as I took my two hour walk, there was a young man unknown to me, who drove by me, tooted his horn and said, ‘Robin, congratulations on your victory yesterday, keep up the fight and God bless you.’ That is beautiful.”

The local Press-News newspaper said that Eskin “admitted that the code might be obsolete.”

“Reasonableness and code requirements don’t always go hand-in-hand… given societal and technical changes that requires review of code ordinances,” Eskin told the paper.

He argues, however, that he has an obligation to enforce the code. Still, he acknowledges that some of the charges against her are unfounded.

“I am in compliance,” Speronis said in an interview with the local News-Press. “I’m in compliance of living… you may have to hook-up, but you don’t have to use it. Well, what’s the point?”

Speronis has long been living “off the grid.” The city didn’t seem to even notice until she publicly discussed her home with Liza Fernandez, a local news reporter. After that appearance, a code enforcement officer designated her home as “uninhabitable” and gave her an eviction notice.

In March, at a code compliance hearing before Eskin, Speronis was a no-show. Local WTSP 10 news reports that “her company, Off-the-Grid Living Inc. is a litany of violations. Out of 48 violations, Speronis had been previously found guilty of 45. There’s been no appeal or movement to comply.”

“We will continue to use due process and legal measures available to enforce the codes of the city,” Connie Barron, spokeswoman for the city of Cape Coral said. “The building official has pulled the certificate of occupancy… this was the next step we decided to take to bring the property into compliance. Legally, she cannot be in the house.”

Barron acknowledges that it is “unusual for the city to escalate a case to this level.”

“Even if they board the house up, I’m not leaving,” Speronis explained. “They did the best they could when they took my dogs and arrested me. It fell apart because I’m unshakable.”

The International Property Maintenance Code is still being used by cities throughout the United States and Canada. While it stands, it holds that even if you have power and running water, you can be evicted from your home if you remain “off the grid.”

(Article by Reagan Ali; h/t WTSP 10; Press-News and Off The Grid News)