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Store's owner nabbed in sting
Thursday's arrest is the latest in a series of issues surrounding Castel Bantuit.
By JACOB H. FRIES
Published March 16, 2007
LARGO - Castel Bantuit hasn't opened its doors to the public yet, but already the Halloween-themed store on Missouri Avenue has garnered plenty of attention. Not all of it good. Last month, the city issued property owners Helene Urbin and Bert Beigel a notice of violation because of the unconventional and eye-catching signs painted on the front of the building at 1751 Missouri Ave. Then on Thursday, a police sting: an undercover detective went to the back of the building and purchased a pair of contact lenses from Urbin, who isn't licensed to sell them, police Sgt. Howard Crosby said. Police, armed with a search warrant, then seized 99 pairs of illegal contacts, including ones imprinted with spider webs, smiling faces and cat eyes, Crosby said. Urbin was arrested on two counts of dispensing contact lenses without a prescription, a felony. She was being held in the Pinellas County Jail Thursday in lieu of $10,000 bail. Thursday was not Urbin's first arrest. In 1995, she was charged with trafficking cocaine and intimidating a witness. She was convicted and sentenced to 2 1/2 years. Urbin, 58, and her boyfriend of four years, Bert Beigel, 80, bought the property plus the vacant lot next to it last March for more than $1-million, according to public records. The couple have said they plan to renovate the 15,000-square-foot building into a gift shop selling candy, gothic T-shirts, jewelry and caskets, plus a haunted house. The second floor, they said, would be a stage where they could have magicians and play The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It didn't take long for the building's exterior signs to grab the attention of city officials, who say they violate city codes. Urbin and Beigel later received a stop-work order because they hadn't acquired the proper permits, officials have said. On Thursday, Crosby said fire and code officials were back at Castel Bantuit and planned to cut power to the building, delaying, if not dashing, the couple's hopes of ever opening the store. Staff researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report. Jacob H. Fries can be reached at 445-4156 or jfries@sptimes.com.
[Last modified March 15, 2007, 23:09:56]
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by Julian
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03/27/07 06:26 PM
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It seems that Largo police and the city of Largo are harassing these individuals. Decorative contact lenses with creative designs for halloween can be purchased over the internet and on flea markets and novelty stores without any problems.
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by Margo
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03/17/07 05:20 PM
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Sounds like some young broad using a older man for money..
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by Drew Finn
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03/17/07 01:06 AM
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Another example of Largo "going after" people who are trying to open a business that is a little different. Like the other people said, open a bar,liquor store, laundry , or pawn shop and you will have their blessing. the jerks oughta leave em alone.
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by pat
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03/16/07 05:50 PM
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i will sleep much better tonite, knowing the people i talk to arent wearing illegal contact lenses
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by Paul
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03/16/07 03:17 PM
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I have to believe there is more to this story than meets the eye. I wonder if it has to do with her 1995 arrest. Sounds like she or her 80 year old boyfriend did something that upset someone in power and now the "witch hunt" is on.
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by Dumbledore
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03/16/07 01:50 PM
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Ah Largo, no culture and lazy cops. Wasn't this the same place where a man was arrested for wearing an FBI hat? Nice work officers.
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by WD
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03/16/07 12:40 PM
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Is there some reason you want it to be Halloween all year long. Todays youth have enough problems without thinking in those terms all year long. But I do agree that there is way too much red tape in doing business. But beware of the drugs.
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by Jason
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03/16/07 12:27 PM
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I guess Largo only wants liquor stores and Pawn Shops. What a way to keep beating people down. Largo loves strong arming minor offenses. Do yourself a favor and don't ever open up a business there.
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by John
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03/16/07 12:26 PM
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Just another example of Largo's support for small business. That's the reason your city looks like a dump, no one wants to invest in it because the city makes success almost impossible.
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by sven
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03/16/07 09:13 AM
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Definitly a vendetta against these people. They are doing something unique. Maybe they should open a pawn shop/laundry mat that sells beer at 7AM, then the city would leave them alone.
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by Karen
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03/16/07 09:08 AM
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Yeah, sounds like Largo is on a witch hunt. I've seen the out side of the store, and it looks cool. I for one, would love to see it open. And you can buy those contacts on any costume web site, or costume store, get real!
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by Jeepers
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03/16/07 05:47 AM
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Sounds like the cops and the city got a little vendetta going. Every building has code violations if you look long enough. Bet when the Dollar Store gets those contacts they don't get raided. $10,000 bail for selling a novelty? Just sounds fishy.
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News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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