Spiteful business owner caused The Big Sweep

Regarding The Big Sweep, we heard from a City insider on the issue of Code Enforcement coming through town and causing problems for many businesses last week.

It all came down to a nosey business owner complaining to Code about another business owner. This happens often in the Grove and it's an ugly side of the Grove. Most times it comes out of jealousy.

Code went out and cited the first business because they were in violation for many things. But if Code Enforcement was not called, they would not have cited the business. That business then took it upon themselves, out of spite, to walk around the neighborhood and report others by calling the County's 311 number. By law, Code has to respond to these complaints because all calls are tracked. Code used to turn a blind eye to all of the "infractions" because most of them are silly things like signs announcing lunch or dinner specials.

In the future, Code Enforcement has agreed to go on a case-by-case basis and not come barreling through town causing problems for everybody in sight when one jealous business has a complaint about another business. So while Code was doing their job, they would not have done their job had others not started the trouble. The Grove is dead enough as it is. Spiteful business owners really don't need to be part of that mix, which hurts everybody in the end.