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RON MATUSSanford Harper hopes his program will help kids, but it may be operating in violation of city and state laws.
WEST TAMPA - Say this for Sanford Harper: He never gives up.
Since the mid-1980s, Tampa's self-proclaimed "ambassador-poet" has started several programs to help low-income children, only to see each of the programs fail.
Two months ago, Harper resurrected Juveniles United in a Community Effort, or JUICE, which he says will fight illiteracy, spruce up neighborhoods and help kids earn and save money.
"There's thousands of programs out there to help kids, but none helps them get money," said Harper, 40, a charismatic ex-convict who has self-published a slim book of romantic poetry and who prefers that people call him San Man.
Harper promises big things for JUICE, but authorities say it appears the program operates in violation of city and state laws.
JUICE is not registered with the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which requires registration of groups that solicit money from the public. And the group never secured permission from the City Council to ask for donations at busy intersections, which it does routinely.
Harper said last week he knew he needed to get city permission. "I just haven't," he said. As for registering with the state, he said JUICE operates under a Tampa nonprofit called G-Ryde Music Ministries. "I honestly thought we were covered," he said.
So far, JUICE has enrolled seven members, but Harper said more than 20 others want to join and he hopes to have as many as 60.
JUICE cadets are children up to 12 years old who wear camouflage uniforms, practice military-style drills and learn vocabulary. Several days a week they march on the sidewalk near the West Tampa library on N Howard Avenue, turning left and right as Harper barks orders.
They help Harper mow grass, wash cars and do other odd jobs for a fee. They also form "bucket brigades" to solicit money from motorists.
Harper said he gives each of his charges a cut, takes a little for himself and puts the rest in a savings account for the kids, although he opened it in his own name.
On one job, a homeowner paid the crew $65 to mow and trim a yard, Harper said. Each kid got $7 in hand and $2 in the savings account, Harper said. He used some for gas and kept $10 for himself.
"If they do something extra, extra special I'll put an extra dollar in there for them," he said of the account.
The cadets keep ledgers to track their savings. Eventually, Harper said he'll transfer the money to individual accounts, which he envisions will be used for college, cars or other future needs.
Harper said he hasn't set up the accounts yet because he needs parental permission, and the parents are too busy. "I have a hard enough time getting them to sign permission slips," he said.
Harper does not have a steady job and makes a living by writing and selling poetry, he said. A few weeks ago, a friend paid him $50 to write a poem for his wedding and another $50 to read it, he said.
Harper said he is determined to avoid the pitfalls that snared his other programs.
In 1985, he founded Citizens Helping Delinquents and Dependents to boost young people's self-esteem. In 1993, he started Parents Against Drugs. Both organizations are inactive, records from the Florida Department of State Division of Corporations show. Harper told the St. Petersburg Times in 1994 that he created JUICE so boys could learn the value of free enterprise. Back then, the boys sold juice and incense.
After an aborted run for mayor in 1994, Harper, who was arrested at least 20 times between 1982 and 1998, said he was repeatedly harassed by Tampa police. That harassment helped unhinge his programs, he said.
"Someone was trying to sabotage my effort," he said, blaming former Mayor Dick Greco.
Greco did not return calls for comment. The police, however, did respond.
"I'm sure a number of people may feel harassed when they're being arrested for breaking the law," said Tampa Police Department spokesman Joe Durkin.
Harper is open about his criminal record, which includes convictions for domestic battery, carrying a concealed firearm, possession of marijuana and worthless checks. For battery on a law enforcement officer in 1988, he was sentenced to two years in state prison.
If he can persuade young people "to not make the same mistakes I've made, then I think I've done a good job," Harper said.
Until a few months ago, Harper helped operate West Tampa's Community Boxing Gym, where he started a tutoring program and held poetry workshops.
Harper said he left because some of the kids "wanted to learn," not box.
But gym owner Linda Wilcox said the gym "couldn't keep him there anymore." She declined to be more specific.
Last month, the state changed parent organization G-Ryde's status to "inactive."
"I didn't know that," Harper said. "I'll definitely find out what the deal is."
State records list Gary F. Brown of Tampa as G-Ryde's agent and Harper as one of its officers. Brown could not be reached for comment.
Neither JUICE nor G-Ryde is listed with the state's consumer services agency, which requires groups that solicit money from the public to file annual reports disclosing how much was raised and how it was spent. State law requires such registration to protect the public from fraudulent or deceptive solicitations, said Rudy Hamrick, an administrator with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
After seeing a copy of a JUICE flyer, Hamrick said the state will send Harper a letter asking for an explanation.
Not everyone is so skeptical.
Harper recently joined forces with the Florida Cadet Corps in East Tampa, which also uses military drills to instill discipline.
Mike McFarland, that group's president, said he was initially "shocked" when he learned Harper - whom he did not know - was running a similar program. But after sitting down with Harper a month ago, McFarland agreed to make him a second vice president.
"I was convinced he had the children's best interest at heart," McFarland said.
JUICE participants say they like the program. Their parents do, too.
"It's something nice for them to do to keep them out of trouble," said Patricia Williams, the grandmother of JUICE cadets Alfonso Harris, 11, and Alonzo Mainer, 12. Harper "can teach them responsibility," she said.
When asked whether she had concerns about the savings account, Williams said, "Not yet."
Harper isn't fazed by questions about his track record. He's seeking building space and corporate donations. As long as kids need help, he'll keep trying, he said.
"Sometimes it brings tears to my eyes," he said about the conditions in the neighborhoods he seeks to serve.
The kids, he said, are "swimming in shark-infested waters."
- Ron Matus can be reached at 226-3405 or matus@sptimes.com