EXTREME AND MASSIVE Predatory Towing Ring Busted In Boyton Beach, Florida

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It always does my heart good to see a predatory towing scam busted by police, but this one in Boynton Beach, Florida was OFF THE SCALE. According to this article in the South Florida Sun Sentinel, (click here) a family-run towing business faces 500 charges, including 390 felonies.

I have to wonder...

...is there a death penalty for predatory towing? Believe me when I say many anonymous on-line comments were suggesting it in the chat threads of the Sun Sentinel.

According to reporter Dianna Cahn, police say the owners of Access Express Towing and Transport were removing signs in a lot on the 1100 block of North Federal Highway. They'd remove the signs and swipe cars, actually driving their tow truck the wrong way on Federal Highway to be even MORE sneaky. (I sincerely hope they are charged with a raft of traffic tickets on top of everything else)

This happened 90 times over a period of 6 months. So why didn't police act faster once they had documentation of what was happening? Numerous online commentators are asking the same question in the threads of the Sun Sentinel. It's a fair question, especially since these bloodsuckers were charging "between $55 and $335 for people to retrieve the cars."

To make matters worse, the owner of the parking lot didn't even know this was happening. So, hopefully, dozens of counts of trespassing can be tossed on top of all the other charges.

POLICE ARE SEEKING INFORMATION FROM VICTIMS. Dianna Cahn's article contained this contact information, but clearly the Boynton Beach Police would like the info promulgated, so here goes: Anyone who had their vehicle towed from that parking lot by Access Express Towing is asked to call 561-742-6827 or Crime Stoppers at 561-458-8477.

Tallahassee Sets Its Sights On Predatory Towing

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Hillsborough County, Florida, is contemplating a law to crack down on predatory towing companies, according to this article, (click here) and the sensible proposal has caught the attention of state legislators who represent Hillsborough County...

Word is NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS about "patrol towing" in front of restaurants and bars has sparked the proposal, and the proposed bill would allow the county's Transportation Commission to "go after these guys and take their license away," alleviating a tremendous enforcement burden on the Tampa Police Department and the sheriff's office.

Hopefully, the Transportation Commission would be open to some other ideas...like transparency in the towing process, with vehicle data available on the internet. Once the big, ugly problem of aggressive "patrol towing" is licked, one begins to see a plethora of smaller issues associated with towing, issues which also need solving.

Beyond the City of Tampa, there is the rest of Florida to consider. I don't know if anybody outside of Orlando was paying attention to the ugly situation in that city, but links to a number of articles about that situation were collected on this blog. Clearly, Florida's problem is bigger than Tampa or, for that matter, Tampa as well as Orlando.

The blog of Sean Cruz in Portland, Oregon cries out against the practice of "patrol towing," which is actually against the law in both Washington State and Oregon, according to Cruz. Maybe the State of Florida will soon follow suit. I hope so.

"Those To Whom Evil Is Done Do Evil In Return"

Photo by John Hoff, Bedlam Theater

Word comes of a disturbing incident at a towing company lot. A man who was not allowed to retrieve his medicine and was told to leave came back. He came back with an AK-47...

The story is told here, click at this link, and note how the facts related about what the man was told about getting his property shifts. Truth is a slippery thing in the best of times, but these are clearly not the best of times as the smoke clears and blood pools on pavement.

One of version of the story says the guy was told he had to leave the property, and he should go, and police were called about an "unwanted guest." Yeah, an "unwanted guest." More like a guy desperate to retrieve his meds from his vehicle, very likely the medicine which helps to shut off the voices in his head telling him to do bad stuff. Another version of the story--and you can compare the two, side by side at this link--says the man was told he had to return with "proof of ownership."

Yeah, well...a lot of people carry that stuff IN THEIR CAR, don't they?

I do not approve of this kind of violence. I don't even approve of the cartoon antics of Angle Grinder Man, click here. But a few nights ago I was watching "Body of Lies" and the movie started with a quote by the poet W.H. Auden, who said, "I and the public know/ What all schoolchildren learn/Those to whom evil is done/ Do evil in return."

What Do These Two Stories Have In Common?

In for a dime, in for a dollar. Click here for a story about a 20-year-old woman who tried to torch a tow truck making off with her vehicle. What do these two stories have in common? Other than a common theme of violence in the face of predatory towing?

In both cases, individuals in the comment sections of the stories took a similar stance. 1.) Condemning the violence, 2.) Stating basic variations on the words of W.H. Auden. People don't go over the edge all by themselves. Somebody pushes them there.

A Third Version Of Events

I came upon yet another article, click here, with yet ANOTHER version of events about what happened in regard to the guy fetching the medicine. In that version of events, he said the medicine belonged to his daughter, and she needed it or she'd die in three hours.

The towing company turned him away. And that's when he came back shooting.

So there are three possibilities, here:

1.) It was true. 2.) It wasn't true, but he believed it was. 3.) He didn't think it was true, and it wasn't true, but he said it anyway...perhaps because he was just really, incredibly desperate to get what was in the vehicle.

No matter what was the truth...there was no reason to turn the guy away. And, yeah, he was a psycho. All the more reason to treat him with kindness and respect. This state should consider something like the "Let People Get Their Stuff Back Law."

Citizens Rise Up Against Abusive And Predatory Towing: Lessons Learned From "The Battle Of Orlando"

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The City of Orlando, Florida was named after a Orlando Reeves, a soldier killed while attempting to fire a warning shot to alert troops of an impending Indian attack. One source says the story is without basis, but cities apparently need such legends; which inspire civic-mindedness and self-sacrifice.

In Orlando, an example of such civic-mindedness can be found in people like Orlando Weekly reporter Lindy T. Shepherd, who fought abusive towing and--in a manner similar to Orlando Reeves--sought to alert others of the danger...

Skirmishes by citizens with abusive towing in various locales tend to produce useful information about tactics that work, developed "on the fly" by these citizens fighting their small battles. In reading Shepherd's two articles about her situation, "By hook, crook or the book" and "I fought the towing company, and I won" some useful tactics become apparent.

Here, in a nutshell, is the "tactical information" that can be gleaned from the two articles.

* The article mentions "radio station personalities Doc & Johnny from WXXL" who were "patrolling the perimeter to warn potential victims."

Great idea! Most local radio stations depend on the "two wacky guys in the morning" format. Abusive and predatory towing seems like a perfect "drive time" topic, and the antics of radio personalities seem perfectly suited to warning victims of abusive towing.

* Tow truck drivers who engage in predatory towing have to move quickly. Consequently, they don't always follow the rules about securing vehicles, which can give citizens an opening for making a complaint stick.

* Shepherd carefully researched the statutes--in fact, she checked the state, county AND city laws--and found a crafty-yet-reasonable interpretation of the statute which requires a 50 percent "drop fee" if the vehicle "has already been connected to the towing or removal apparatus." But the driver in this instance didn't completely secure Shepherd's vehicle.

Though there was talk of revising the particular Orlando ordiance at issue--to clear up precisely this gray area--the tactic of arguing about whether the vehicle was connected to the towing apparatus or not could work in other locales.

* Shepherd found the towing contract for the parking lot on file with the city, as required. She was apparently looking for an illegal monetary arrangement between the towing company and the business with the parking lot. Though she found no such arrangement, her tactic of ferreting out the contract made sense, and could produce a windfall of useful information in some other situation, in some other city.

* Shepherd publicized the process to file a complaint specific to towing issues in her city and county.

* Some tow trucks are equipped with video cameras. But that is a double-edged sword. In Shepherd's case, the video footage (which Shepherd never saw) apparently worked in her favor, showing the tow truck was not moving when she approached and pleaded for her vehicle.

* By making the record with her two articles in 2003, Shepherd helped establish a historical record of towing abuse, laying the groundwork for what appears to be a decisive, crushing defeat of Paul Gren and his towing company half a decade later at the hands of the Orlando City Commission.

Kiss Your Hard-Earned Money Goodbye In Downtown Orlando, Florida

Flickr.com photo

Just how bad is the towing situation in downtown Orlando? While using "Orlando" as a search term on Flickr.com, I turned up this photo of a guy "kissing his money goodbye" because he was towed.

Here's what the caption of the photo says and, keep in mind, I am only the messenger.
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After all of the excitement was over we headed back to the apartment to call it a night. That's when we discovered that Adam's car had been towed because he accidentally parked in front of the mini police station in our building. Here we see him kissing his $80 goodbye before heading out to get his car back.

I'm told that kissing that money isn't the only thing he did to it before he handed it to the towing people.
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What's amazing is the "photo story" of what happened right before the tow, which you can follow if you click on this link and go to the beginning of the photo sequence on Flickr.com.

It turns out after attending something called the "Indie Film Jam," Adam and his friends were on the way home when they witnessed an assault, which involved a guy's head hitting a sidewalk of downtown Orlando, Florida "like a melon." They called the police, gave witness statements, then received an impromptu tour of the police station from grateful members of OPD.

When they came outside, it turned out Adam's vehicle had been towed. Say goodbye to 80 bucks for being good citizens.

(Do not click "Read More")

Orlando, Florida: WE'VE GOT THE BAD GUY, SO LET'S MAKE AN EXAMPLE OF HIM, AND ALL OUR PROBLEMS WILL BE SOLVED

(Photo by Hilda M. Perez, Orlando Sentinel / June 23, 2008)
(Fair comment and criticism)

Paul Gren of TowTruck Company of Orlando is, beyond a doubt, a notorious man and a bad actor in the towing game. However...

...as bad as Gren is, and as easy as it is to loathe and criticize somebody like Gren, this guy did not spring up in a vacuum. Orlando has big parking issues in its downtown area, such big issues one local who has lived in the area 20 years said downtown Orlando was "a source of shame" and he refuses to bring visitors there.

(Just look at him! Putting that expression on his face like, "I'm just a businessman. Why are they making me a bad guy?" And the whole while, he's been raking citizens over the coals and breaking rules left and right. This great photo captures it perfectly; the AFFECTED nature of Paul Gren's facial expression)

Lately, because of Paul Gren, not only is Orlando severely restricting the use of boots, but Orange County, Florida, is following Orlando's lead, according to this article.

Other bad acts by Paul Gren

Here's yet more information about how bad Paul Gren and TowTruck Company of Orlando actually is, according to yet MORE information I turned up.

* In 2004, TowTruck Compnay of Orlando impounded an SUV on a Saturday night with 21-year-old Chris Richard passed out in the back seat, causing Richard's mother to threaten a lawsuit. The receptionist at TowTruck Company was described as talking to Eyewitness News through "bulletproof glass."

It is easy to laugh at somebody like young Chris Richard, and characterize him as an irresponsible college kid, exactly like the blog where I located the story, "Right-Thinking From The Left Coast."

The problem is other, more vulnerable human beings could have been laying in the back seat of an SUV just as easily as a drunk college kid, such as a small, sleeping child or infant, a handicapped person, or a citizen unconscious due to a medical emergency. Vulnerable pets could be in the vehicle, as well, sitting in the shade with the window adequately cracked...but then the vehicle gets towed to a blazing hot Florida impound lot.

And no, not all dogs would bark madly, and not all human beings would be able to cry out and attract some attention. How much effort does it take for a tow truck driver to check a vehicle for occupants, as they are required to do? They're snatching cars so quick they don't want to waste a few seconds while making their getaway.

* TowTruck Company of Orlando was involved in another incident on June 10, 2003 which ACTUALLY DID involve towing a vehicle with a 7-year-old boy inside, according to Lindy T. Shepherd of the Orlando Weekly, who wrote about her own trials and tribulations in two amusing articles, "By hook, crook or the book" and "I fought the towing company, and I won."

Paul Gren's "Pimped Out" Ride

* What does Paul Gren do with all the money he shakes out of Orlando citizens? One thing he did was to buy an expensive custom motorcycle with a "graffiti" theme in the paint job, according to this article I found online. I will not critique the man's aesthetic tastes, but my tongue is going to hurt from biting it so hard.

Focus on the systemic issues, not Paul Gren

I fear the bigger issues of parking in downtown Orlando will be missed in a rush to give Paul Gren what he deserves. Reigning in Gren's abusive booting is an important piece of reform, but stopping Gren won't solve the parking crunch in downtown Orlando, and though a lot of complaints focus on Gren, many don't.

In a city which can brag of such a high tech attraction as Universal Studios theme park, you would think Orlando could adopt some technological solutions, including what has become the visionary centerpiece of my own reform efforts: a way to notify citizens of an impending tow.

In one of the Topix chat rooms, a poster mentioned how something called "courtesy cards" once existed, which allowed at least one tow truck company to make a phone call to auto owners who regularly used certain parking lots, to ask questions like, "Sir, did you forget your parking pass today?" or "Are you aware your permit expired half an hour ago? Can you run down and take care of that?"

The future of downtown Orlando

Imagine a more high tech form of the "courtesy card" which would allow vehicle information to be scanned, and vehicle owners to be notified of an impending tow. If Orlando could implement something like this, then maybe downtown Orlando could become what its most ardent supporters hope and dream, even with its ongoing parking crunch.

A Public Relations Disaster In Orlando, Florida (Visit Downtown At Your Own Risk)

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In Orlando, Florida, there is a political movement afoot in the City Commission, led by Commissioner Patty Sheehan, to reign in the most abusive auto booter in the city, which is apparently "TowTruck Company of Orlando" judging by this amazing article in the Orlando Sentinel....

The article has vivid examples of bad behavior by TowTruck Company of Orlando. Also, numerous outraged citizens have posted their own comments and stories in Topix forums related to the numerous articles about the abuses by TowTruck Company, the comments dragging in other instances of predatory practices in Orlando and adding to fuel to an already fiery issue.

In fact, there is so much information about predatory practices in downtown Orlando, and so many Orlando citizens saying it is better to avoid the downtown, the issue seems to be transforming into a public relations disaster for the city leaders in Orlando.

Consider the following, from the article.

* The city was forced to tighten its rules two years ago, because of the same company. The company's owner was arrested and fined for "routinely overcharging vehicle owners trying to retrieve their cars."

* A driver for Coca-Cola had his truck booted, with an attempted shake down of $400. Despite a police order, the company refused to remove the boot and caused a "parking lot showdown." The Coca-Cola driver's company rescued the vehicle with their own tow truck, hauling it away boot and all. The driver called the towing company a bunch of "mercenaries."

* One woman was able to remove her car wheel and the boot holding it in place, escaping with a spare tire. (Clever! Angle Grinder Man would be proud) According to the woman, TowTruck Company of Orlando got its revenge by snatching the car from her driveway and forcing her to pay $400.

* A senior citizen booted while legally parked, patronizing a local bank. A family booted while sitting inside a van. A person booted while going inside a law office to obtain a parking pass.

The following comments and examples come from Topix forum posts for this article and related articles, one of which pictures the infamous booter (boo, hiss) and the other of which is called, memorably, "Don't boot me, bro."

* Outraged citizens destroy as many as six boots a week as booting victims resort to cutting, melting and freezing the devices off. (The freezing method involves using freon, then smacking the boot hard with a hammer, FYI)

* Even other tow truck companies supported the proposed rules, including slashing booting fees to a mere $22, and distanced themselves from TowTruck Company of Orlando.

* Commissioner Tony Ortiz, a former cop, said when he was on the force he saw predatory practices, including watching vehicles park illegally without verbally warning the drivers, but rather waiting for the drivers to walk away.

A commenter on the Topix forum backed up the observations of Commissioner Ortiz, noting that a lot of signs in parking lots are confusing and don't conform to regulation. According to this citizen, "Downtown Fan," locals know where to park but it is people on vacation who get towed, including a family he met from Atlanta.

* "Palmetto Bugs" of Winter Park, Florida said he was towed from the Thornton Park area of downtown Orlando five years ago, and hasn't gone back since the incident.

* "SNL" of Sanford, Florida said "this sounds like a mobbed up company. There should be a RICO investigation to see where this money is flowing. It is only a matter of time before some serious violence enters the picture." Many other posters suggested various forms of violence which could be directed against booters.

* "Angry" of Miami, Florida said "If I caught one of these (expletive) towing my car from a legal parking spot there would be blood in the street."

* "Bruce" of Orlando, Florida says he has lived in Orlando for 20 years and the downtown parking situation has always been bad. He won't take visitors downtown "out of shame."

* "Marcus" of Orlando, Florida said the Orlando Sentinel should publish the names of the businesses which use TowTruck Company of Orlando so consumers could boycott the businesses until they stop encouraging predatory towing practices.

* John R. of Lake Mary, Florida brought up the problems at the parking lot owned by St. Luke's Cathedral, a situation I blogged about earlier. Apparently, St. Luke's actually contracts with this particular company, despite practices which can be described as "devilish."

* "Haze" of Orlando, Florida complained "For all that money Orlando spent on the downtown area, all they got was some tattoo parlors, bars that cater to teenagers and 20 somethings, and a few bad restaurants."

* "Darwin" of Lakeland, Florida said, "Years ago I had by car towed from a lot near Roxy's. That was my LAST time at Roxy's. I also punched the tow guy in the face. See, I cursed him when I picked up my car, and he was standing outside having a cig. Then he came up to my car window and I punshed him in the face and drove off. Good times."

* The College Park diner of Orlando was said to have tiny little signs facing backwards, and so vague it's impossible to know what parking spots the signs reference, causing many citizens to get towed.

* On June 4, a poster called "(Teed) Off Downtowner" of Orlando wrote as follows:

I have just returned from downtown. I went to OUC to pay my bill at 5:54 pm. (Time on receipt) From there I got into my car, drove a block over, parked my car. I parked legally in a metered space at 5:57 pm. I went to the meter, knowing the meters stop at 6pm.

The meter had 4 minutes left on it, which would take me to 6:01 or 6:02. So I went to my meeting. I returned to find my car had a city parking ticket with a time of 5:55 p.m.

I have checked my clock against other clocks and the world clocks online. My timepiece is correct. I was not even in that space at 5:55, I was leaving OUC. This sort of abuse needs to stop, City of Orlando. Twenty-two dollars (for a parking ticket) is not worth the amount of patronage you will lose. You are such idiots and will bankrupt this city.

* Some posters wondered why the city government allowed this situation to fester and get out of hand since the previous incidents with the same company two years before.

* "Okie Dokie" of Orlando, Florida suggested citizens should get their own boots and put them on their cars as decoys when frequenting downtown Orlando.

* "Mango" of Altamonte Springs, Florida said an Orlando company named Johnson Wrecker towed his car, and after "Mango" paid the bill, he asked where he could leave his car for a couple hours until he was ready to pick it up. Employees directed him to an empty lot next door, then later towed the car and extracted ANOTHER $125.

* In response to the issue being raised repeatedly of which businesses in Orlando hire the unscrupulous company in question, a poster stated some of the businesses were Appleton Creative and Orlando Lutheran Towers.

* "Orlando Beautiful" wrote, "Maybe Mayor Buddy can start having his Downtown Ambassadors give people rides home on their Segway when they get booted?

* When a poster criticized the Orlando Police Department for not taking quicker, more decisive action against the towing company in question, another poster argued as follows:

"When this booting stated, OPD began doing reports, getting sworn statements, and taking photos of the boots...OPD wanted to file grand theft charges for the bootings (but) the State Attorney's Office declined to accept them saying they would not pursue charges. So what could (OPD) do at that point? Nothing except to stand by to keep the peace while some folks cut the boots off with hacksaws."

* Many citizens made the complaint that parking was difficult to find in downtown Orlando, with or without booting to complicate the picture. One poster said, "They (the city government) want us to drive there and spend our hard-earned money on crappy venues and businesses so that we can be more like the REAL big cities of Chicago, New York and LA."

"Well guess what? If there is no place to park, why would I want to do that? [...] The problem is much more complex than just to say "park where you're supposed to" because "where you're supposed to" isn't always clearly marked and is often far overpriced. Better off to just stay out of downtown."

* One poster alleged towing companies were playing a game of "can't see the parking tag," explaining that "we've had employees who have their car towed, just to mysteriously find the tag that is hung from the mirror now lying on the floor of the car after it has been towed. These are tied to the mirror. How the heck does it fall off?"

All in all, the ongoing media coverage of the controversy and the associated discussion on chat threads is giving Orlando a serious black eye. And the issue hasn't even been resolved, yet.

Florida Towing Statute (Revealed And Ripped)

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Continuing my ambitious project to put the towing statutes for all fifty states on this website, along with my critiques, here is the statute for Florida with my critiques at the bottom...

Quoting Florida Statutes, Property, Section 715.07 Vehicles or vessels parked on private property; towing

(1) As used in this section, the term:

(a) "Vehicle" means any mobile item which normally uses wheels, whether motorized or not.

(b) "Vessel" means every description of watercraft, barge, and airboat used or capable of being used as a means of transportation on water, other than a seaplane or a "documented vessel" as defined in s. 327.02(8).

(2) The owner or lessee of real property, or any person authorized by the owner or lessee, which person may be the designated representative of the condominium association if the real property is a condominium, may cause any vehicle or vessel parked on such property without her or his permission to be removed by a person regularly engaged in the business of towing vehicles or vessels, without liability for the costs of removal, transportation, or storage or damages caused by such removal, transportation, or storage, under any of the following circumstances:

(a) The towing or removal of any vehicle or vessel from private property without the consent of the registered owner or other legally authorized person in control of that vehicle or vessel is subject to strict compliance with the following conditions and restrictions:

1.a. Any towed or removed vehicle or vessel must be stored at a site within a 10-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of 500,000 population or more, and within a 15-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of less than 500,000 population. That site must be open for the purpose of redemption of vehicles on any day that the person or firm towing such vehicle or vessel is open for towing purposes, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and, when closed, shall have prominently posted a sign indicating a telephone number where the operator of the site can be reached at all times. Upon receipt of a telephoned request to open the site to redeem a vehicle or vessel, the operator shall return to the site within 1 hour or she or he will be in violation of this section.
b. If no towing business providing such service is located within the area of towing limitations set forth in sub-subparagraph a., the following limitations apply: any towed or removed vehicle or vessel must be stored at a site within a 20-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of 500,000 population or more, and within a 30-mile radius of the point of removal in any county of less than 500,000 population.

2. The person or firm towing or removing the vehicle or vessel shall, within 30 minutes after completion of such towing or removal, notify the municipal police department or, in an unincorporated area, the sheriff, of such towing or removal, the storage site, the time the vehicle or vessel was towed or removed, and the make, model, color, and license plate number of the vehicle or description and registration number of the vessel and shall obtain the name of the person at that department to whom such information was reported and note that name on the trip record.

3. A person in the process of towing or removing a vehicle or vessel from the premises or parking lot in which the vehicle or vessel is not lawfully parked must stop when a person seeks the return of the vehicle or vessel. The vehicle or vessel must be returned upon the payment of a reasonable service fee of not more than one-half of the posted rate for the towing or removal service as provided in subparagraph 6. The vehicle or vessel may be towed or removed if, after a reasonable opportunity, the owner or legally authorized person in control of the vehicle or vessel is unable to pay the service fee. If the vehicle or vessel is redeemed, a detailed signed receipt must be given to the person redeeming the vehicle or vessel.

4. A person may not pay or accept money or other valuable consideration for the privilege of towing or removing vehicles or vessels from a particular location.
5. Except for property appurtenant to and obviously a part of a single-family residence, and except for instances when notice is personally given to the owner or other legally authorized person in control of the vehicle or vessel that the area in which that vehicle or vessel is parked is reserved or otherwise unavailable for unauthorized vehicles or vessels and that the vehicle or vessel is subject to being removed at the owner's or operator's expense, any property owner or lessee, or person authorized by the property owner or lessee, prior to towing or removing any vehicle or vessel from private property without the consent of the owner or other legally authorized person in control of that vehicle or vessel, must post a notice meeting the following requirements:

a. The notice must be prominently placed at each driveway access or curb cut allowing vehicular access to the property, within 5 feet from the public right-of-way line. If there are no curbs or access barriers, the signs must be posted not less than one sign for each 25 feet of lot frontage.

b. The notice must clearly indicate, in not less than 2-inch high, light-reflective letters on a contrasting background, that unauthorized vehicles will be towed away at the owner's expense. The words "tow-away zone" must be included on the sign in not less than 4-inch high letters.

c. The notice must also provide the name and current telephone number of the person or firm towing or removing the vehicles or vessels.

d. The sign structure containing the required notices must be permanently installed with the words "tow-away zone" not less than 3 feet and not more than 6 feet above ground level and must be continuously maintained on the property for not less than 24 hours prior to the towing or removal of any vehicles or vessels.

e. The local government may require permitting and inspection of these signs prior to any towing or removal of vehicles or vessels being authorized.

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My critiques: First of all, I bet the geographic restrictions on where a vehicle can be towed are constantly bent, and citizens should not assume, but double check. Quite a messy, ugly situation could materialize when a county of less than 500,000 suddenly breaks the 500k mark, but you can bet the impound lots won't suddenly move. (Note there is an exception to the rule within the statute, as well)

The requirement about when to keep the site open, the posting of the phone number, the requirement to return in an hour...all these things could give citizens an opportunity to fight, but they'd probably have to document everything with a video camera or it would be one of those "he said, she said" things if the time came to present evidence.

"Reasonable opportunity" to redeem the vehicle is not defined in the statute, so one wonders if it might be defined by case law. My experience in Minnesota tells me the case law can be pretty sparse when it comes to towing.

Note there are NO KICKBACKS ALLOWED. Oh, gee, I wonder how many different ways THAT law gets violated every single day.

Note that the signage requirements are VERY PARTICULAR, and there is certainly an opportunity to fight a tow based on those requirements if--once again--one can document the situation and avoid "he said, she said."

Rising Gas Prices Are An Excuse To Raise Towing Fees Everywhere

Flickr.com photo

News coming out of Tallahassee, Florida makes it official and reveals the bigger national pattern. Towing companies are using rising gas prices as an excuse to push for fee increases all over the country.

According to an article in Tallahassee.com, the Tallahassee City Commission is considering higher prices, from $88 to $100, then another $10 added on July 1.

This is the same agenda being pushed in Alexandria, Virginia, as discussed in my previous blog posting. It is happening in some other cities I haven't gotten around to blogging about, yet, and you can expert this cost-increase rationalization for towing fees to appear at a city near you in the near future.

What about the other side of the coin? Citizens are pressed hard by rising gas prices and need a break!

Why Can't Orlando, Florida Just "Ban The Boot?"

Flickr.com photo, downtown Orlando

According to coverage by WESH.com, city commissioners are fed up with renegade towing operators, but state law prevents them from "banning the boot" like the City of Minneapolis recently did...

To this I say, "Why?" Why can't the local city commission--which clearly knows best the needs of a tourist mecca such as Orlando, Florida, since the commissioners are its local grassroots government representatives--just ban booting?

After all, Minneapolis banned booting. Of course, Minneapolis left a minor exception, and it seems to me Orlando could do the same thing. Ban all the booting EXCEPT for the minor exception of small parking lots where tow trucks can't maneuver, and then be in compliance with Florida state law. My little suggestion to stir the pot.

In the meantime, signs are going up all over Orlando, warning drivers they will "get the boot" if they park illegally. The city apparently has to step in to be the "nice booters" because the towing companies were acting outrageously as "bad booters."

City residents are described as "sick of it" and one resident said towing companies were try to "sandbag" residents to squeeze out as much dough as possible. Commissioner Patty Sheehan said there were "egregious violations (by towing operators) with people legally parked."

(Note to self: try to contact Sheehan for more details)

Sheehan is pushing a number of reforms to booting law, including waiting 15 minutes and notifying police before putting on a boot. OK, at this point I have to wonder why Orlando doesn't look into technology to notify drivers of an impending tow or boot.

(Apparent predator towing operator) Paul Gren says the reforms won't "run him out of downtown Orlando" because Florida state law still allows booting.

Huh. Yeah. Why is that the case? Why should the state thwart cities in this matter, when even business owners like Dave Beatriz are saying booting "doesn't do any good."

To this I would add: tourism is the lifeblood of Orlando, Florida, and reading stuff like this sure doesn't make an outsider (such as myself) want to visit with their car. I remember well how defensive folks were in Birmingham, Alabama about their downtown in a different blog post, but you can't say Birmingham depends on tourism the way Orlando does.

I hope folks with a good head on their shoulders like Commissioner Sheehan can reign in the renegade towing operators.

Abusive Non-Consent Towing ROUNDUP For May, 2008 (Yee-Haw!)

Flickr.com photo

Hopefully, I can keep up with all the many incidents which happen on a month-by-month basis. The idea is...

If I can't blog about it in detail, I can at least throw in a short description and provide a link, to document the common patterns. There are SO MANY common patterns, one of which is the tendency of towing companies to hire some really rough people, like ex-convicts with auto theft convictions.

Oh, by the way...here is a nice link to information about "Rocky Mountain Oysters."

Just in case you wondered what those cowboys want with that little calf, pictured above.

Favoritism alleged in Carmi, Illinois

In Carmi, there is a situation where a tow truck driver is also a city alderman, and his daughter just happens to be a police dispatcher. Click here to read the article.

There are allegations of favoritism when it comes to the "roster," a tactic many cities use to determine which towing company is called to the scene of accidents and impounds.

A crowd was gathered for the city council meeting and at one point an alderman asked, "Do you believe police are picking a favorite?"

"Yes, we do!" the crowd said, in unison.

Citizens still out of luck in Fayetteville, Arkansas

The city government weeded through a bunch of applications and picked one towing company to use for police-initiated towing. City fathers sounded a cautionary note, as reported by the local press in this article, saying...

"Fayetteville Police Department cannot control tows occurring on private property such as Dickson Street businesses, University of Arkansas parking lots, apartment complexes, residences, etc. This is where a large majority of citizen complaints originate, and once again, we want the public to understand this towing contract will not and cannot resolve those issues. Those type of complaints should be made to the Arkansas Towing and Recovery Board."

A long, ugly history in San Antonio, Texas

Texas Towing is being dropped early from its 7 year contract with San Antonio, due to "longstanding failure to meet performance standards" according to this article.

The article is quite valuable because of its links in a "sidebar" to the whole ugly history of the dispute. This messy controversy is the subject of a separate blog entry. I was married in San Antonio, Texas, and even thought that didn't work out so well I still love that place, and I care what goes on "deep in the heart of Texas."

Gouging students in Georgia (A matter of record)

Statesboro, Georgia voted to raise the fee for non-consent towing a little bit in light of rising gas prices. In the course of discussion, a lot came out in front of a reporter about how the previous price was a response to local towing companies "gouging" students.

Tow trucks charge "whatever" in Escambia County, Florida

Only when a citizen was outraged over a $500 towing charge did Escambia County, Florida, start to take a look at the fact towing companies were free to seize cars and charge whatever they liked, according to this article.

Escambia County isn't some kind of backwater. This county includes the city of Pensacola. You have to wonder how many places in this country have no regulation at all, and citizens are getting gouged until somebody talks to their city council or county commission.

Oops, just a MISTAKE in Fort Worth

A woman shopping found her car being towed, and asked how much to release the car. The driver said he had to take the car. Turns out this is contrary to a Fort Worth ordinance. If the driver shows up, the towing company must DROP THE CAR WITH NO FEE.

The company, Excalibur Towing, is refunding the woman's money, according to this article.

But I wonder how many other "mistakes" were made like this?

A commenter to the article named Andrea McLaughlin of Dallas, Texas says she has also had problems with Excalibur Towing.

But no mistake in Dallas

Meanwhile, Dallas has decided to authorize towing vehicles discovered to lack auto insurance, according to this article.

Towing predators snarling at each other in Florida

In Martin County, Florida, tow trucks are coming from neighboring Palm Beach County and St. Lucie County to seize illegal cars, according to this article. But Martin County towers can't go into St. Lucie because of an ordinance.

The towers are crying foul, according to this article, and wanting an ordinance to "protect" them from the other towers. What about protecting the rest of us from them?

Towing Horror Stories From Orlando, Florida (Preying On People In Wheelchairs)

Flickr.com photo, downtown Orlando, FL

After consumer advocate Gregory Dawson of the Orlando Sentinel mentioned www.towingutopia.com on his blog, two horror stories emerged from the woodwork...

First, an Orlando citizen calling herself "Lulu" wrote as follows:
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There is more than one towing horror story in town.

Central Parking runs a lot on the corner of Washington and Magnolia that preys upon the handicapped and non-English speaking. The lot is monthly permit only during the day, Mon - Fri, but has like 6 or 7 conflicting signs and a meter box making it look like it is paid parking.

Plus the signs are mangled making them next to impossible to read. Disabled people park in the handicap spots and the second that wheelchair rolls out of sight the spotter calls for the tow truck to haul away the vehicle. A lawyers office sits in the middle of the lot, but they don't own the lot.

Get this...it is owned by St. Luke's Cathedral, the Episcopal church behind the lot. Real Christian of them to tow the handicapped, poor and uneducated people who can afford it the least.

They could end the confusion by making it a secure, card access lot only, but then the church would lose revenue they make from event parking on nights and weekends and Central Parking would lose all the extra cash they get from their towing sting operation so there is no incentive for them to change. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wow! That's serious, Lulu.

This information is unconfirmed, and I welcome other points of view and/or contradictory information. (It appears the church in question describes itself as "Anglican," but the two denominations are closely related)

I contacted the church through their website, to give them an opportunity to tell their side of the story.

Next we have the story of a towing operator who has found a sneaky way to get paid twice. I don't know if consumer advocate Gregory Dawson will pursue this one because apparently there is no end to the horror stories he receives, but he was kind enough to share the story with me, as follows.
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I have a situation where I had sold my daughter's car. I gave the buyer a bill of sale and I kept a copy for about two years. I thought I no longer needed to keep the document and discarded it.

I am now informed my daughter has a lien on her license because the person never transferred title. He abandoned the vehicle and the car store located at 12811 W. Colonial Dr., Winter Garden was told to pick up the car.

The lien on the drivers license is for $278.20. I called the store and asked for an explanation of the charges. His response was, "Towing cost, paper work and storage."

I asked what happened to the car. I wanted to know if they sold the car and for how much.

His response was they crushed the car. I said "Okay, why have I not received the proceeds from the crushing as a credit? After all you you clearly stated what the 278.20 was for and you are not entitled to be compensated twice."

His response was, "I've been doing this twice a month for thirty years."

I said, "That does not make it right, in my opinion he need to return the illegal proceeds he has kept all these years and needs an atitude adjustment for his "I make the law and answer to no one" outlook.

It has been my experience from 50 years in business the law is "you don't get paid twice for one service."

I tried to reason with him. He would not hear it.

(Greg Dawson) do you know if this is the norm in the business of towing cars and being allowed to be treated differently from other businesses?
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Greg Dawson may have his own answer, but here is mine: getting away with murder appears to be the norm when it comes to "non-consent" towing all over the nation. That's why I've started a blog about this issue.

However, when it comes to towing as an actual service, companies are forced to mind their manners. I see the issue of abusive non-consent towing as an emerging national issue.

Gas prices are only going to make the situation worse, since cars are now filled with "liquid gold."

Furthermore, the scrap metal market has increased the incentive to snatch cars on any pretense and reduce them to valuable scrap. That's exactly what happened here.
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In closing, I'd like to add this: Gregory Dawson said my blog was "doing God's work." Well, isn't that supposed to be the job of St. Luke's in Orlando, Florida?

If Gregory Dawson ever has a surplus of consumer abuses involving towing, and can't take care of them all, a few can be kicked this-a-way. But Dawson seems to be doing pretty well as a one man army of consumer advocacy.

Outrageously Bad Behavior By A Towing Operator In Orlando, Florida

Flickr.com photo, Universal Studios, Orlando FL

Though the story here doesn't involve "non-consent" towing, it seems apparent tow truck drivers who engage in outrageous behavior in one category will turn right around and do the same thing in another category of towing. In this case, we're talking about a literal felon who did time for grand theft auto...

According to a local "consumer affairs" columnist who writes for the Orlando Sentinel, a tow truck company run by John Warrington scratched a guy's expensive car, promised to pay for it through insurance, then played one game after another to avoid paying a dime. It's not surprising, since Warrington did five years in a Florida prison for false personification (sic), grand theft motor, (sic) and multiple counts of check fraud.

There are so many reforms needed in the towing industry. A good place to begin would be not allowing convicted felons to be tow truck drivers or own tow truck companies.

(My only bit of critique or feedback about the article: if the columnist says he's going to "posterize" somebody, then there needs to be a kind of "poster" illustration with an image of the person's face. If no image is available, well, have a cartoonist make some kind of caricature!

Get enough "posterized" bad guys and maybe you'd have enough to make a deck of cards. What a great fund raiser idea THAT could be!)