LAKELAND, Fla. — 70-year-old Virgil Robinson has lived on his Lakeland land for over 20 years since the property was left to him after the previous owner died.
According to the Polk County Property Appraiser, in February 2023, the land was put into his name, as was more than $95,000 in violation fines.
"The county has seemed to go out of [its] way to make life hard for me," Robinson said.
The fines began last year after a complaint was made about the property's condition.
For years, Robinson has allowed people who are homeless to set up tents and live in their vehicles and RVs.
County code enforcement is concerned that the property does not have running water or electricity and is run off a generator.
Each day Robinson does not comply with the county, he is fined $250 daily.
"Mostly, it has been good people down on their luck," Robinson said.
Industrial buildings surround Robinson's property, and the land backs up to railroad tracks.
He feels he's being pressured by the county and fined so someone can scoop in and buy his land.
Autumn Fenton is the Code Enforcement Director with Polk County and said that is not the case.
She truly wants to see the area cleaned up, and she said the property's condition poses a health concern.
"There is some junk and debris—distressed, abandoned vehicles. One of the main concerns was that there was leaking sewage. I believe there was an open septic tank on the property," Fenton said.
Before 1991, the property was zoned as residential, but as the years progressed, Fenton said the county rezoned it as industrial to make it consistent with the land around it.
Fenton understands Robinson's push to help people in need. However, she said the manner in which he is doing it may cause more harm than good.
"I would just caution people that it's important to be a good neighbor. That even though someone does have a good intention of helping a group of individuals that clearly need some housing, there is assistance out there for that," Fenton said.
Fenton said the county is working with Robinson and said there are options for him to pay 5% of his land value. An application must be filled out with a fee of $230 to move forward.
At the end of the day, Fenton said, until the RVs, tents, and those who occupy them are removed, Robinson is not compliant and will continue to face a daily $250 fine.
If a vendor is sent out to clean the property, the costs could surpass $250.
As for Robinson, he said if it comes down to it, he would ask those on his property to leave, but as to when that's still unknown.
