My home for a Monster truck

Some people in South Florida need a life.

ROYAL PALM BEACH — Jeff George's yearlong obsession with his 12,000-pound monster truck has cost the 26-year-old a pretty penny.

Actually, several hundred thousand of them. And if the village has its way, it could soon cost him his two-story house, too.

The village kicked off foreclosure proceedings on the house at 178 Monterey Way Wednesday evening during a hearing before a special magistrate.

The move by the village is the first formal step toward collecting the $5,175 in code violations George racked up during three months last summer, said village attorney Brad Biggs.

On Sept. 13, a special magistrate fined George $75 for each day his super-sized Ford F-650 pickup remained parked in front of his house.

Under village code, trucks with a "manufacturer's rating for cargo weight greater than 1 ton, which is either designed for the carriage of goods or is used principally for the carriage of goods; or a motor vehicle designed or equipped with a connecting device for the purpose of drawing a semitrailer" are considered a commercial vehicle.

George, who also owns a yellow Lamborghini and a Bentley, said he has no immediate plans to settle the matter with the village and pay the fines.

"I could pay the fines, but I don't want to," said George, the son of wealthy developer John Paul George, owner of Majestic Homes, a major custom-home builder in several Florida counties.

George shares the house with his brother, Christopher, who owns the home.

Jeff George is currently appealing an additional $10,150 in fines related to the monster truck and aesthetic violations with the house, said Lynda Walker, a code enforcement supervisor.

Most code violations on residential properties are settled well before any talk of foreclosure stirs the air, Biggs said.

And the process is a lengthy one. So, George should not expect to be evicted anytime soon, Biggs said.

Rick and Alex at SOTP have been tracking the story of Mr. George and his truck. Click here and here to read their posts. Putting your home in jeopardy over a vehicle is simply dumb. I know many rules in South Florida are dumb. This blog points them out all the time, but as Rick and Alex have shown Mr. George is far from being a saint. Plus if you look at one of the above photos, the problems at the George home are far larger than just the truck. Look at the garbage in the home's front yard and driveway.

This home isn't even owned by Jeff George's, but rather his brother. I can't believe there is much brotherly love being felt in the George family at present.

Bottom line- Grow up Jeff George and pay the fine.

Linked to- Dumb Ox, High Desert Wanderer, Outside the Beltway,