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Neighbors fed up withteens' antics

By STEPHANIE HAYES
Published May 14, 2006

Vampires? Try teenagers. In front of Tom Brown's window.

Brown told the Westchase Community Association board Thursday that rowdy nighttime activity has increased recently near his West Park Village home.

Noise, fights, car racing, skateboarding. He said his wife once even saw some people having sex.

"I do not feel comfortable anymore as a resident having to police that myself," Brown said.

Board member Mary Griffin, who also lives in West Park Village, said she'd seen activity, too.

"My husband and I found kids making out in the parking lot one night when we were walking," she said.

It can be hard to nab the noisemakers when they park in the community pool's parking lot and then run amok, said Hillsborough County sheriff's Deputy Jennie Matera, who is Westchase's community officer.

"That's not a county pool," she said Friday. "We can't go in there and give tickets."

Matera said the enforcement options for parking come down to either gating the lot or erecting tow-away signs.

The board voted to enlist a tow company to install signs at the community's two pool parking lots and to tow cars parked there after a certain hour.

"No trespassing for nonresidents" signs will also go up at the pools to keep people from gallivanting around the pools and tennis courts at night.

The signs should help nip the problem in the bud, Matera said.

"It's just a few kids," she said. "It's the normal thing. They'll hang out for a little bit. That's what I've come to understand. They're making a little bit of noise at that time, and that's it."

Stephanie Hayes can be reached at 813 269-5303 or shayes@sptimes.com.

[Last modified May 14, 2006, 10:49:51]