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After Students' Shootings, Neighbors Take Charge

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By MIKE WELLS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 20, 2008

One month after two Gibsonton students were shot near a bus stop in the Carriage Pointe subdivision, changes are in motion to make residents feel more secure.

While the three teenagers charged in the shooting await trial, the Carriage Pointe Community Association and the subdivision's Miami-based developer, Lennar Corp., are trying to start a Neighborhood Watch program and toughen renter background checks.

The efforts were outlined in a recent letter to residents by Mahdi Mansour, president of the association and the land division operations manager for Lennar.

The changes answer what residents have been asking for to improve their community, he said.

Discussions about forming a Neighborhood Watch program and modifying the leasing policies took place well before the shooting, said Lennar spokesman Glenn Bunting.

"Since Lennar is still in the process of turning over the community association to the residents at Carriage Pointe, we decided to respond promptly to requests from our homeowners for assistance in coordinating a Neighborhood Watch program," Mansour said. "The homeowners also asked for changes to the leasing policies to ensure that all lease approvals are done in a manner that provides better quality and consistency."

Phase One of Carriage Pointe has 382 homes, and about 140 homes are occupied by renters, Mansour said. People who maintain their properties and pay rent on a timely basis would not be affected by the proposed leasing guidelines, he said.

"It is possible that existing tenants and lease renewals could be affected by the changes if they do not abide by any new or revised bylaws approved by the homeowners association," Mansour said.

Security Meeting

The association's new security committee will discuss starting a Neighborhood Watch program at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Riverview Branch Library, 10509 Riverview Drive.

Hillsborough County sheriff's Deputy Jeff Service, the Neighborhood Watch coordinator for the southern portion of the county, will be there to answer questions.

"I'll have a contact person or persons in the neighborhood, and what they do is go out and collect signatures," he said. "I'm looking for 50 percent of the community signing up in support or a large turnout for the original meeting.

"It's totally up to the community how involved they want to stay in it," Service said. "When I go to these startup meetings, I tell them that it's only going to be as good as the people in this room want it to be."

The community association's regular meeting is scheduled for after the Neighborhood Watch meeting, and the board will vote on the proposals.

Tightening Rules For Renters

Chief among its agenda items is voting to have the association process background checks on prospective renters and verify employment and references. Currently, homeowners are required to submit a background check for each tenant.

In addition, any adults living in rented homes would be required to have their names listed on the lease and application forms and any minors would need to be identified.

A screening committee would review lease applications and interview prospective tenants. The committee would include an association board member, a homeowner and a tenant, and it would have the ability to deny a tenant based on criteria being developed by the association.

Mansour said it's not uncommon for developments such as Carriage Pointe to have screening committees that review lease applications for prospective tenants.

"The screening and approval process is intended to balance the interests of resident owners, absentee owners and tenants," he said. "Many communities throughout Florida have leasing restrictions along with a screening and approval process."

Property and court records show that the mother of two of the three teens charged in the Dec. 17 shooting, Devaughn Duncan, is renting a home in Carriage Pointe.

She also is listed as a defendant in a delinquent tenant lawsuit filed last month. On Wednesday, a writ of possession - or eviction - was issued by the court, according to court records.

A man who answered Duncan's phone Tuesday said the family is declining interviews until her sons' cases make it through the courts.

Investigators say her son, Brian Alonzo Gainey, 17, shot East Bay High School students Jessica Davis and Gregory Powell, both 16. He and his brother, James Benjamin Gainey, 16, who deputies said was with him at the time, will be tried as adults.

A third suspect, Jeffrey Brian Argo, 19, drove the car used in the crime, deputies said. The three teens were charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder and face a maximum penalty of life in prison.

The shooting appears to be related to a fight the previous week at the bus stop, say witnesses and relatives of one of the victims.

Reporter Mike Wells can be reached at (813) 259-7839 or mwells@tampatrib.com.

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