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Fire Code Breach Forcing Vets From Liberty Manor

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By JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 2, 2008

TAMPA - Veterans in need of a place to live have called Liberty Manor home for more than a year.

Today, 13 of its 17 residents were forced out by order of the state fire marshal.

"We were under the impression that we followed proper protocol when the Tampa fire marshal signed off on this over a year ago," said Bill Blaney, who owns the North Tampa property with his wife, Connie. Blaney estimated that it will cost about $60,000 to bring the two-story house up to code. "I think I've been misled and been given bogus information."

The Blaneys say they received a call about two weeks ago from a state spokesman telling them that the house, classified as a hotel by state fire code standards, needed to be inspected by fire officials.

Bill Blaney said he was given no indication that it was in violation until Monday, when Tampa Assistant Fire Marshal Geoff Brown showed up at the door.

"Geoff said, because of the violations, we had 72 hours to vacate," Blaney said.

The home is in violation of Florida fire code, which requires such housing to have hard-wired smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and a sprinkler system. If the dwelling is more than one story, there must be exits on each floor.

In March 2007, Tampa City Council approved the rezoning of an 11,000-square-foot parcel of land containing a single-family dwelling and detached cabana at 10015 N. Ninth St. The Blaneys equipped the house and cabana with 17 beds, decorated them with furniture and accessories, and renovated the baths and kitchen.

Tampa Fire spokesman Bill Wade said the fire department and city council approval then was strictly to rezone the property. A specific site plan outlining the projected renovations never was presented for the council's endorsement.

"This house is unsafe the way it is now," Wade said.

Tampa emergency housing representatives were on hand today to provide housing assistance to the evicted veterans. However, Connie Blaney said she has made arrangements with New Beginnings, a nearby Christian organization, to house them while the code infractions are rectified.

"We're just a middle-class family trying to keep these men who fought for our country together and we need the community's help," she said. "We're not going to go away.

The Blaneys can be reached at (813) 900-9422 or (813) 269-4735.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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