News of the Weird
Norma Whatadeal has been covering the weird beat for 23 years and remains, against all evidence, occasionally surprised. She believes the world is stranger than any fiction anyone could invent, and that this is fundamentally good news.
A Florida man's battle with his homeowners association over lawn height took an unexpected turn when he discovered a loophole nobody anticipated.
A Florida retiree's lawn decoration sparked a years-long war with his HOA. The flamingos won.
A Florida subdivision's governing documents contained a clause permitting the association to fine residents for violations of future amendments. The residents are still waiting to see what they did wrong.
An HOA president discovers her nemesis has been photographing her violations for months. A man decides to settle a property line dispute the only way that makes sense. Florida continues being Florida.
An HOA enforcement letter arrived. The homeowner had complied perfectly. The problem was what they'd complied *with*.
A retiree got fined for his lawn ornament. The ornament was a flamingo. The flamingo was also his late wife's ashes.
An HOA discovered that enforcing architectural guidelines is easier than enforcing the laws of nature. A Florida man learned this the hard way.
An HOA president discovered a neighbor had built a defensive structure in his yard. The homeowner's response was not to take it down.
This week, a Florida resident discovered that some neighborhood disputes require scales and a measuring tape. Also: a woman hired a lawyer to fight her own homeowners association. It went exactly as you'd think.
A homeowners association discovers an illegal basement poultry operation, a man loses his teeth mid-skydive, and wildlife officials respond to their strangest call in years.
A nudist colony gets its zoning reviewed in Florida, an alligator is accused of theft, and a family sues their HOA over decorative stones. Just another week in the weird.