Grandparents Ordered to Evict 6 Year Old | HOA Down!

Let Bylaws Be Bylaws

It's people like these who voted to evict six-year-old Kimberly Broffman. Not these people specifically, but people like them. You can see it in their eyes. (Photo: flickr.com)

I’m a parent, so I’m going to proudly display just a bit of bias here. If the homeowners’ association at the Largo, Florida retirement community where Jimmy and Judie Stottler live think it’s a good idea to force them to evict their six-year-old granddaughter Kimberly Broffman, I cry for their misplaced humanity. That is, if I give them the benefit of the doubt that they possessed any humanity in the first place. With short term loans, perhaps they could afford more mirrors so they’d be forced to take long, deep glances at themselves.

Yes, that’s right. “Grandparents ordered to evict 6 year old” isn’t something you hear every day. The Huffington Post reports that the bylaws of the retirement community require that all residents must be older than 55. This is unlike many communities where only one of the residents has to be 55 or older. In the infinite benevolence of the HOA, young Kimberly is the only one mandated to leave.

The Stottlers Have Tried to Sell

Considering what a lovely place it must be to live (And the people! Oy!), it comes as quite a shock that Jimmy and Judie have been looking to sell their home and return to humanity. Yet the housing crash has made sale that much more difficult. They’re now asking for $129,000, so if you know any miserly folks who love petty rules and regulations, have them call the Stottlers. I’ll take out short term loans for their bus fare.

So despite the unreasonable requests of their HOA, the Stottlers have tried to comply in the best way they could imagine.

Kimberly Broffman Could Become a Foster Child

NBC News claims that “there is a real possibility that (Kimberly) could be placed in state foster care.” That’s a road that nobody should have to travel if there are other options present. The feelings of rejection and confusion at being uprooted from all that she knows could certainly be enough to cause depression and anger in what appears to be a perfectly happy little girl. Blindly adhering to rules rather than looking out for the best interests of humanity is a sure sign that the HOA members are either intensely confused or deliberately deserving of being slammed against a bed of nails continually.

Wither Justice?

A judge’s ruling in the matter is to come, and I hope Kimberly Broffman is allowed to remain in the place she calls home. An interesting note here (which is unconfirmed) comes from a reader response to this story on the Huffington Post Web site. Supposedly, the May 2009 HOA meeting minutes for this same retirement community included discussion of renting out their lodge for high school graduation parties. The HOA is apparently aware that alcohol to minors is served at these parties, but they continue to rent the hall… because they’re making money off the deal! They don’t want short term loans, they want cash without questions!

So, if Kimberly Broffman simply went out and got a job (perhaps in a fiberglass insulation plant) and paid dues, the HOA would happily withdraw their hasty complaints. Lesson learned, little Kimberly. Adults can be mean and nasty, but money tames the savage beast.

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