Legal Services programs funded by the taxpayer-supported Legal Services
Corporation regularly engage in litigation and legal counseling in Florida that
takes an anti-business, anti-private property stance, including property owned
by the Catholic Church! Often, this leftist-oriented approach comes at the
expense of Legal Services providing help to the poor in their everyday legal
needs.
Legal Services Involved in Dispute Over Church Building
In a questionable use of taxpayer dollars, the federally funded Florida Rural Legal Services (FRLS) has been advising a group of disgruntled parishioners in a dispute with a local Catholic church over the use of a proposed church-sponsored Hispanic center. The church, St. Anastasia Catholic Church in Fort Pierce, has raised over $150,000 to build a center to serve the local Hispanic community, as well as house certain pastoral activities, such as retreats and youth group meetings. A group of parishioners, however, have left the congregration in a dispute over the proposed pastoral uses of the center, claiming that it was originally meant solely for Hispanic community functions. Remarkably, the leader of the disgruntled ex-parishioners, Jose Solorzano, has received legal advice concerning the dispute over the center from the managing attorney at the local office of FRLS. Although there is no record that any legal action has been taken by FRLS in this dispute, it is disturbing that a federally sponsored Legal Services lawyer would be spending his working hours intervening in a dispute over church property.
See Drew Dixon, “Bishop to Hear Dispute Over Proposed FP
Hispanic Center,” Fort Pierce News, December 12, 1997
Legal Services Puts Mobile Home Park Owner in Catch-22
In a remarkable case, Legal Services of Greater Miami has sued the owner of a Miami mobile home park for seeking to evict residents of the park who have constructed illegal additions to their mobile homes. The owner of the Villa Fair mobile home park, Edol Corp. has had repeated legal problems with Dade County, primarily because of the residents’ additions to their homes which violated county housing codes. The additions, usually an additional room are illegal because they render the mobile homes unmovable and because they create a fire hazard--allowing fires to spread by reducing the space betwee the highly combustible mobile homes. As part of a January 1997 settlement agreement, Edol agreed to evict the residents and close down Villa Fair. In March 1998, just before state law would allow Edol to evict the Villa Fair residents, Legal Services filed suit against Edol and the county, seeking to either halt the eviction or gain compensation for the residents--even though it was the residents’ actions that necessitated the evictions in the first place! As a result of Legal Services’ suit, Edol, the property owner, is caught in a legal bind between the demands of the county and the residents.
See Ted B. Kissell, “A Double-Wide Life; With County Officials
and Neighbors Determined to Squeeze Them Out, Mobile Home Owners Have Become an
Endangered Species,” Miami New Times, February 12, 1999.
Legal Services Interferes with Development
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid (JALA), a recipient of taxpayer dollars from the Legal Services Corporation, imposed itself into local development issues by representing the residents of a local mobile home park sought by a developer for retail development. JALA has been in negotiations with both the current owner of the park and the developer seeking to purchase the land in an attempt to gain resettlement assistance for the tenants. But at a February 1, 1999 Jacksonville City Council hearing, JALA went further and asked the City Council to delay the Council’s consideration of zoning approval for the development because the mobile home park residents weren’t “comfortable” about addressing the Council on their feelings about the project until negotiations with the owner and developer were completed. This case is a prime example of how Legal Services often promotes an anti-business, anti-development agenda while purporting to help the poor.
See Peralte C. Paul, “Decision Delayed on Home Depot Site City Council Votes Delay of Issue to March 1 Meet,” Florida Times-Union, February 3, 1999.