A DRIVER had his vehicle towed from his own garage at 5am and was fined $250.
Tityus Mitchell of St. Augustine, Florida lives in a gated community called The Gables.
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While this may seem idyllic, last year residents complained about having their vehicles towed without notice, seeing them fined for minor infractions, according to News 4 Jax.
“It was 5 in the morning, they took the vehicle out of my garage, saying it was disturbing the sidewalk. No warning, no nothing,” Mitchell told the outlet.
The father of four paid $250 to get his vehicle back and claimed he was unfairly targeted because other vehicles were left on the sidewalks despite blocking part of the sidewalk.
After threatening legal action, Mitchell got a full refund of the fine.
However, he worried that other residents in the gated neighborhood would say, “What if we didn’t have money?”
Other residents have made formal complaints to the HOA about the towing practices of ASAP Towing, with whom it contracts.
One woman told the news outlet that a disabled relative almost had her vehicle towed “because she didn’t have the right sticker.”
Meanwhile, another nearly $300 in towing fees after her vehicle was towed because part of her tire was touching the grass.
A third said that while they were in bed, the woman who came to drop off shopping had her vehicle taken away.
SHOCKING STATISTICS
Between January 2022 and August 2023, ASAP Towing removed 114 vehicles from The Gables, according to News 4 Jax.
However, in two other communities in St Johns County, the towing company removed substantially fewer vehicles during the same period.
Only 33 cars were towed from Whispering Pines, while 39 were removed from the Whispering Woods community.
Both provide notice to residents prior to towing, unlike The Gables.
Vince Serrano, the owner of ASAP Towing, responded to allegations that his employees parked in The Gables “waiting to pull cars” by saying his company follows the contract it has with the HOA, which is not illegal.
“We have been in the market for 28 years. We have contracts with these communities.
“The problem is not the fact that we decided to tow.
“It was 5 am, they took the vehicle out of my garage, saying it was disturbing the sidewalk.
Tityus Mitchell
“The client [The Gables HOA] There are rules and they are having problems with people coming in and not obeying the rules.”
He added that if minor violations were not punished, the problem would escalate to the point where drivers would park wherever they wanted.
Rules enforced by the HOA at The Gables state that parking on the grass, or on the street, or in a manner that blocks the sidewalk, is against policy and that no warning will be given prior to towing.
HOA President Zenzi Rogers said residents who feel they have been treated unfairly can appeal and request a towing review.
The towing company takes photos before removing vehicles and refunds will be issued if the review concludes that no violations were committed, Rogers told the news outlet in 2023.
She added that the HOA had previously received complaints about parking rules not being followed.
US Sun has reached out to Rogers and ASAP Towing for comment.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
