Extortion?
Dear Editor,
This certainly sounds like extortion to me. What do you think?
Black’s Law Dictionary defines extort and extortion thusly: The natural meaning of the word “extort” is to obtain money or other valuable thing either by compulsion, by actual force, or by the force of motives applied to the will, and often more overpowering and irresistible than physical force. Com. v. O’Brien, 12 Cush. (Mass.) 90. Extortion consists in any public officer unlawfully taking, by color of his office, from any person any money or thing of value that is not due to him, or more than his due. Code Ga. 1882
Law.com defines extortion as “obtaining money or property by threat to a victim’s property or loved ones, intimidation, or false claim of a right ….. It is a felony in all states, except that a direct threat to harm the victim is usually treated as the crime of robbery.”
For many months, FKAA has used coercion to extract “grants” of easements from mostly unwilling homeowners to allow FKAA to install County pump stations in those people’s yards. These people are also expected to provide a high capacity dedicated electrical circuit at their own expense. In an older home, this can require an entirely new electrical service, with estimates typically starting at $4,000. In the Upper Keys, Islamorada has been similarly abusing some people.
Now FKAA, backed by a new BOCC resolution, has been mailing what I believe are extortion letters. The letters threaten the home owner with having to pay possibly thousands of dollars extra if they do not surrender an easement by a certain date. Furthermore, if an easement is not provided at all, then the homeowner is told that they must get a permit from FKAA to have a contractor install a pump station that meets FKAA approval at their own expense, and they must own and operate that pump.
What these people are not being told is that per Chapter 62-604 Florida Administrative Code, in a sewer system that depends on grinder pumps, those pumps are an integral part and all of them must be owned and operated by the same entity that owns the rest of the system. So it is not permitted for an individual to own and operate their own pump in a grinder pump system!
Therefore, it is fraudulent to threaten this in an effort to force property rights from an unwilling individual. There is no reason for these pumps not to be on the road shoulder except that the County saves money by forcing homeowners to provide land and power for County machinery. This is shifting a County construction cost onto select homeowners. For “Environmental Justice”, the Army Corps was promised that the financial impact of sewers would be equal for all homeowners. Hardly! I see this as a government “taking” by fraud and extortion. How do we stop this injustice and crime?
John Prosser
Big Pine Key
You pawns of the Keys need to extend your Monroe County corrections system. That old prison on Tortugas would serve just fine. Being that the Keys is swamped by so much corruption and crud this new prison space is needed. Tortugas could become a colony. Half of the police force in Key West would be sentenced to serve there becoming a police presence to protect and serve all the other Keys criminals “serving ” there. There would be more than enough “volunteers” to serve on all public authorities. These volunteers would not need graft and nepotism to make a big fat 6 figure income. No need for it. The island prison would be like Utopia for fat rats . The collective ego would override any need for heat in cold months.
Finally , being a national historic spot, Tortugas tours could still take place from cat walks overhead the fat rats and the tourists could witness real corrections taking place.
I for got to mention that all these fat cats would be serving a life sentence, no parole.
The Tortuga prison is way too nice. How about the (currently) unused FEMA prison out there in the sawgrass mosquito haven and gator nursery south of the C111 canal? Oh wait- that has air conditioning.
If you observe closely, you will find the following characteristics common in senior FKAA management: lack of empathy, lack of compassion, no conscience, no remorse, extreme egocentricity, inability to admit or learn from mistakes. These are all characteristics of sociopaths and psychopaths, too. Coincidence?
Yes halloween you have hit the head of the nail. They keep walking that fine line knowing that no one will know them off. They must have all of the attorneys in their back pocket also.