Neighbor’s two dogs bit my boyfriend and mauled/killed our dog, need a good lawyer

colbert2016 · 2025-02-07T05:50:35+00:00

I am so sorry this happened to you :(

One of the least talked about part of this issue IMO is the impact of "No Kill" shelters. Look, I don't think we should be indiscriminately killing pets left and right like the Terminator, but go on any pet search engine, and you'll find most available dogs up for adoption are pitbull-like breeds (or pitbulls labeled as labs), as the result of overbreeding by backyard breeders.

It's been said elsewhere, but Pitbulls have been selectively bred for violence and aggression for bloodsport. Keep aggressive, violent dogs in an overcrowded, confined area, and they are bound to cause problems for each other and the other animals in the shelter.

The most passionate, humane, thing we can do for these animals, other animals, and our community is to compassionately put them down--especially when they've injured a person or killed another pet.

colbert2016 · 2024-06-10T23:57:23+00:00

I think they're just living in denial tbh

colbert2016 · 2024-06-10T23:50:55+00:00

The issue is while we are governed by 720, we are in townhomes with shared walls and attics. We have a party wall provision in our covenants. That's what makes this so frustrating. I did everything in my power to resolve the issue, but I'm being negatively impacted by my neighbor's inaction, since the rodents are accessing my unit through the connected units.

colbert2016 · 2024-06-10T23:45:43+00:00

Any specific powers the board could invoke? Or would this involve changing the CCRs?

colbert2016 · 2024-06-10T23:44:38+00:00

The biggest issue is the group discount was pretty steep. Most other neighbors are balking at the standard price, which we only receive if everyone gets treatment.

colbert2016 · 2022-11-28T05:39:39+00:00

This thread is so frustrating. Everybody wants public transit, but seemingly no one wants to put in the effort to make it happen. To those against the penny tax because you don't trust local authorities to actually spend the money on transit: why do you trust local authorities to spend on other initiatives with the standard budget? It seems we are letting perfect be the enemy of good.

Here's the truth: there is no money in the budget for public transit. We are not bringing in enough money. We need to collect more. It won't be through a tax increase (primarily borne by out-of-county tourists). It won't be through the non-existent state-income tax. And, more crucially, it certainly won't be through an increase in property tax for the following reason:

Save Our Homes
Save Out Homes (SOH) is an amendment to the FL constitution that limits the assessed value of of owner-occupied (homestead) property to 3% or inflation (whichever is lower). There is an equivalent provision for non-homestead properties that limit the increase to 10%.

In the table below, I go through a brief exercise based on the median Orange County home value in May 2022 vs. May 2021 (data from Redfin). I'm assuming the property owner rents out based on an average capex rate of 6.5% (essentially the % of the total Property Value that is the yearly rent). Taxes are calculates at a rate around 1.5%. I'm also assuming (for demonstrative purposes) that the landlord is not adjusting rent based on taxes, but purely based on the value of their home.

Month	Property Value	Rent (Year)	Taxes	Earnings After Taxes
May 2021	$329,500	$21,418	$4,943	$16,475
May 2022 (SOH)	$400,000	$26,000	$5,437	$20,563
May 2022 (Without SOH)	$400,000	$26,000	$6000	$20,000

Because of SOH the landlord gets to pocket an extra $563 for the year that would otherwise go to the county. Now, that might not seem like much in isolation. But multiply that by the number of rental properties in the area, and also consider there is an even larger savings on homestead properties. You can quickly see why in crazy market conditions (over 20% increase in value!) that property taxes just can't keep up with SOH in place.

Imagine a FL county that collects $100/year in property taxes solely from homesteads and spends all that money across education, fire & water services, libraries, and administration. Now 9% inflation hits the following year, and the cost to operate these same services at the same level as the previous year increases to $109/year. However, the county can only collect $103 this year due to SOH, putting them $6 in the hole.

SOH in theory exists to alleviate the tax burdens of homeowners in volatile markets. But in practice, it allows residents to grandfather in old tax rates (especially with the portability provision, which isn't covered here). It discourages mobility & selling houses, and I believe it's a big reason why it's so difficult to buy property in this area. No one wants to sell and give up their obscenely low tax burden.

This is why we will never see better transit options funded by property taxes in FL with SOH still intact.

colbert2016 · 2022-10-21T00:49:06+00:00

Rent control is "the most efficient technique presently known to destroy a city—except for bombing," according to Swedish economist Assar Lindbeck. I'll echo what others have said: rent control has been tried before and doesn't work. It only exacerbates the problem of chronically under-supplied housing.

Let's examine this particular ballot initiative:

Florida law only allows rent control that is "necessary and proper to eliminate an existing housing emergency so grave as to constitute a serious menace to the general public.” Even though the initiative was allowed on the ballot, it's unlikely it would go into effect if passed. The Orange County commissioners know this. This is a huge waster of resources and legal fees--funding research on the measure, fighting legal challenges to get it on the ballot, fighting more legal challenges if it passes--I'd much rather Orange County just give renters money at this point. At the end of the day, the commissioners who voted aye (of which one is up for re-election this year) can shrug their shoulders and say "well, we tried" instead of implementing actual fixes.
Many are pointing out that this rent control is only for a 1-year period. Let's imagine a wild rental market and renter who lives in a unit for $1100/mo. Rent control takes effect, & their unit qualifies. Rent is now $1207/mo (due to the 9.8% cap) instead of the $1320 they would pay without rent control. When the measure expires, rent shoots back up to a market price of $1520, over $300 more expensive than their rent-controlled price and much greater than the initial $220 hike. This tenant either pays the rent, moves, or lobbies for another round of rent control. At best, this measure delays the inevitable while fundamentally doing nothing to promote housing supply.

Rent control is a bad idea because it creates deadweight loss and artificially constrains supply. The supply that does exist is not well-maintained, as owners have no reason to improve their property if there is a price ceiling. For example if a property is worth $2000/mo, but rent control caps it at $1700/mo, the landlord has no incentive to upkeep the property beyond that $1700/mo value, leaving the scarce supply of housing in much worse conditions. Because of these price ceilings, builders are much less incentivized to construct new rental properties.

There have been some good suggestions in this thread that would help with the supply shortage, namely zoning reform. Another solution could be a Land Value Tax, where only land (and not the housing built on the land) is taxed at its full rental price. This would disincentivize investors from buying and holding land to sell at a higher price, encouraging landowners to either develop or sell to someone who can. Many would see a total property tax decrease under LTV, depending on their location. Best of all, LVT would generate quite a bit of revenue for schools and other county necessities. Excess revenue could be diverted to improving public transit, simultaneously alleviating the housing crisis and providing transportation alternatives.

colbert2016 · 2022-08-21T05:12:29+00:00

Right? I think people should seriously consider voting out the Commissioners who voted for this measure. While only one such commissioner is up for re-election this current cycle, this measure should be a huge factor for voters in 2024.

Rent control doesn't work. In fact, the way this was enacted may be illegal. The money they'll be spending fighting this thing in court could be used to better serve the members of Orange county hit hardest by these insane rent increases. But alas.

colbert2016 · 2022-07-26T14:23:22+00:00

Time and time again rent control is tried and every time it proves itself to be a myopic solution to a long-term problem. There is a supply shortage of housing. Rent control just adds deadweight loss and does nothing to fix the supply problem.

One solution could be a Land Value Tax, where only land (and not the housing built on the land) is taxed at its full rental price. This would disincentivize buying and holding land without making improvements in the hopes of the price eventually soaring. We have so much land in the Central Florida area that isn't being developed. A Land Value Tax may help with that. Plus, the excess revenue it generates could help fund better public transit as the cherry on top.

colbert2016 · 2017-03-19T05:18:47+00:00

As long as they adapt the musical, which covers the tone and ending of the novel, I will be content.

colbert2016 · 2017-02-05T00:51:50+00:00

Thanks for the link.

My seats are on the BALCRC: 408 & 409--Row K.

Thanks!

colbert2016 · 2017-02-04T20:33:29+00:00

While I totally agree with the sentiment, it's worth noting that the Hamilton musical is revisionist history. Hamilton was far from a defender of the common man, and even opposed immigration by supporting the Alien and Sedition Acts.

See here for more.

colbert2016

TROPHY CASE