‘I’m so tired of fighting,’ says veteran as drivers constantly block driveway and sidewalk – he’s left over 40 notes | 6503BIK | 2024-05-02 12:08:01
'I'm so tired of fighting,' says veteran as drivers constantly block driveway and sidewalk – he's left over 40 notes | 6503BIK | 2024-05-02 12:08:01
A VETERAN's cries to stop sidewalk obstruction have gone unheard by his community, his HOA, and his neighbors.
His HOA told him the sidewalk counts as the homeowner's driveway, therefore, no ADA regulations were being broken.
Bob Calderon, a disabled veteran, moved into a Manatee, Florida subdivision governed by the Greyhawk Landing Homeowners Association to retire with his wife to lean on a reliably clean and safe neighborhood.
Calderon lost both of his legs after stepping on a land mine in Vietnam during the war, leaving him bound to a wheelchair and a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Southeast Guide Dogs, a non-profit organization that trains and provides guide dogs to those with disabilities from community funds assigned him Mae – a young Labrador Retriever to help him cope.
However, his wife passed in 2012 from cancer and his son passed away in 2017 from liver failure, so the double-amputee Vietnam veteran's only companion was his service dog.
In 2020, the pandemic left Calderon with few options to exercise his dog and get out of the house, so he relied on walks around the neighborhood to enjoy the sunshine and get Mae moving.
This is when his issues with his inconsiderate neighbors came into full view.
During his walks, Calderon regularly encountered vehicles obstructing the sidewalk, forcing the two into the street.
"My therapist and my psychiatrist said, what do you like to do? Well," Calderon told the Herald Tribune.
"I said I like to walk my dog. She gets her exercise and it gets me out of the house. Mae turned my life around. But now I don't know what to do. And I feel so bad for Mae."
For the most part, Calderon said that the subdivision was quiet and safe, save for a few reckless young drivers.
<!-- End of Brightcove Player --> When he's forced to go around the vehicles and into the street, it makes him rightfully nervous for both him and Mae.
"Teenagers, when they're out of school, they drive like maniacs," he said.
"I've nearly been hit a couple of times, so it's just not worth it to go around into the road. Delivery people sometimes drive crazy, too."
The nervousness and difficulty of wheeling around the cars onto the sidewalk reduced his time spent outdoors with Mae, causing Mae to become overweight – an issue noticed by the agency who gave him Mae during their monthly check-ins.
"In a situation where a dog gains significant weight that endangers the health of the dog, our staff provides specific weight management plans and monitors the dog's progress and health carefully," said the agency's CEO, Titus Herman.
"In rare situations where the dog becomes morbidly obese, the organization will bring the dog back to campus and bring the dog back to good health."
<!--googleoff: all--> <blockquote class="article__quote"> </blockquote> <!--googleon: all--> Calderon, under pressure to get Mae back in shape, resorted to printing and distributing 40 flyers throughout the neighborhood with a note asking neighbors to consider leaving the sidewalk clear for those with disabilities.
His efforts were not regarded warmly by his neighbors.
"One person actually said, 'You can get around.' I said, why don't you get in a wheelchair and try to go around a car blocking the sidewalk," he recounted.
"I'm really not trying to be a prick, you know? I just don't know why people can't be more considerate. I'm so tired of fighting."
Rebecca Williams, the lead information specialist with Southeast ADA, said that typically, HOA subdivisions in many states are not legally obligated to abide by federal ADA regulations.
However, the state of Florida does require them to be heeded under Title XXIII Motor Vehicles Chapter 316.1945 (1)(a)2.
"It doesn't say a city sidewalk. It says a sidewalk, period," Williams reiterated.
<p class="article__content--intro"> One in five Americans live in an area with a Homeowners' Association - or HOA. But what exactly is it that they do? </p> </div> </div> "We get a number of calls like this, but most people just don't know who to talk to about it."
Calderon reached out to his association regarding the obstructed sidewalks per Williams' instructions and was met with a dead-end reply.
"I took a look at the driveways in question during my most recent inspection at Greyhawk Landing," read the email from Tamara Gilman of Argus Property Management.
"While you may feel that cars are blocking the sidewalk, I understand that you were previously told that they are not blocking the sidewalk as that portion of their driveway is not sidewalk."
Without any options but to go around vehicles and onto a busy street, Calderon was worried about his dog being taken away without a reliable way to keep her healthy.
"Mae is all I have right now," he said.
"I don't think I could handle it if they took her away from me."
The U.S. Sun has reached out to the Greyhawk Landing Homeowners Association for comment and an update.
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