(WSVN) - He rehabilitates wildlife, then releases them back into the wild, but what he can’t get off his property: two houses. That’s right, houses that he let a neighbor put there. Don’t believe it? Let’s bring in Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Lloyd Brown has a big house problem.
Lloyd Brown: “Those are full size houses, on trailers.”
But, first, let’s move over to where he houses wildlife with problems.
Lloyd Brown: “We are the only facility south of Orlando that has a facility that can take care of eagles.”
From eagles to hawks, rabbits to raccoons, if a wild animal is injured, it’s brought to Dade Wildlife Rescue to save.
Lloyd Brown: “So we nurse them back to health, and if they can be released back to the wild, we put them back.”
The animals, like these young owls, are fascinating.
But back to that full-time headache Lloyd is housing.
Lloyd Brown: “I want to help a neighbor … I was raised to be that way.”
After Lloyd’s neighbor reportedly sold his property to developers for $16 million, Manuel Dorta Duque asked Lloyd to let him put these two houses and three gazebos on trailers and move them onto Lloyd’s property. That was in August of 2021.
Lloyd Brown: “Until he could move them. He said it would be a temporary thing? I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ The buildings are still here, and nothing’s happening.”
Not only has his former neighbor not moved the mess, he hasn’t kept the promise he made to Lloyd for doing him the favor.
Lloyd Brown: “If you let me store my buildings here, I’ll have my guys fence your property in, and we’ll do the landscaping on your property.”
While the massive eyesores sit on Lloyd’s property, Duque lives eight miles away and has plenty of room in his yard for the houses.
Lloyd Brown: “I’ve got a long list of text messages dating back to April of me asking him, ‘Hey, can you move these buildings before hurricane season?'”
In one text, Lloyd wrote, “Manny, any news on when the houses will move?”
Duarte wrote back, “Signing the contract now.”
“Now” was back in May.
Lloyd Brown: “Originally, they were only supposed to be there a couple of months, but now they’ve been here 14 months, and I see no potential of them moving.”
Lloyd wants them gone, and unfortunately for him so does Miami-Dade County.
They fined Lloyd $500 for having this in his yard. Duque paid that fine but didn’t move the houses, so Miami-Dade County sent another notice, this time fining Lloyd $10,000.
He doesn’t have that money and doesn’t have a solution.
Lloyd Brown: “I don’t have the capability of actually fixing this problem. I can’t make those houses go away. I don’t own them.”
Well, Howard, if this was in your front yard, what would you do to motivate the owner to move them quickly?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “The law provides ways to get an unwanted car out of your yard but not houses. The best solution, go to court, get an injunction where a judge will force the owner to remove the house and pay any fines that Lloyd has been hit with because of the properties.”
I called the owner of these houses.
Manuel Dorta Duque told me, “Lloyd gave me permission to put them there. I don’t know who you are” and Duque hung up.
He didn’t return messages I left after that.
Lloyd then filed an appeal to battle the $10,000 fine with the county, and sent Duque a letter demanding he move the houses.
Lloyd Brown: “The black one over there is a kind of a rare hawk. It’s called a short tailed hawk.”
This is where Lloyd rehabilitates birds before setting them free. Ironic we are talking about that because Lloyd wants to be set free from these houses.
Lloyd Brown: “It’s become too comfortable for him to have them here. It’s just not a problem for him to leave them here, and so hopefully, we can motivate him to move them out of here.”
If he won’t move them and soon, Lloyd may have to file that court injunction.
Of course, when you spend your money caring for wildlife, you don’t have any to spare to hire an attorney.
If you would like to file that injunction to get those houses off Lloyd’s property, let us know.
Housing a problem you want to move out? Don’t think anyone gives a hoot? Let us wing it to rehabilitate things and let you soar away.
With this Help me Boward, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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