Dumpster diver in hot water over trashy appearance of home in The Villages

A Villager who has admitted to being a “dumpster diver” is in hot water over the trashy appearance of his home in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown.

A code enforcement hearing was held Thursday morning before a special magistrate at Lady Lake Town Hall with regard to the property of Harold Crume at 709 Megan Circle on the Historic Side of The Villages.

A complaint about the property was lodged this past July, prompting a visit from a code enforcement officer. She found multiple chairs, inoperable golf carts and car batteries in the front yard of the home.

Crume claimed that some of the golf carts were “collectibles” and said he was attempting to restore them. A neighbor told the code enforcement officer that he believed Crume was running a golf cart rental business out of his home.

Crume also admitted he was a dumpster diver.

The code enforcement officer repeatedly returned to the property over the next several months, but found that things had gone from bad to worse.

Crume blamed his lack of progress on an illness and a broken water pipe. He also claimed he was planning to have a yard sale to get rid of the items. The code enforcement warned Crume that he needed to stop dumpster diving and raiding fellow Villager’s trash, as bringing home more junk was making the problem worse.

The code enforcement officer later found that Crume had hidden more junk by moving a screened-in enclosure in order to accommodate the fruits of his hoarding habit. He was cited for assembling the structure without obtaining the proper permit. When confronted by the code enforcement officer over the lack of the proper permit, Crume argued with the officer.

Crume did not appear at Thursday’s hearing.

The special magistrate ordered that the property be brought into compliance by May 6. If he fails to do so, $50 daily fines will be imposed until it passes inspection.