Thursday's City Commission meeting was animated to say the least.
A dispute over a dog-walking business had neighbor pitted against neighbor, activist Pat Fitzpatrick called the Commissioners "fascist a**holes" and about 15 members of the Coalition to End the Meal Limit Now! showed an anti-limit video.
The Commission ruled to overturn an earlier decision that would have allowed Bruce Baber to run his dog-walking business from his house.
Baber looked pretty sad after the meeting ended. He said his optimism, on a scale of one to 10, was a five when he walked in the door and a two after the ruling.
The appellants, the Bowe family, emphasized that they just want the rules enforced, and the rules say that you can't have a business in your house.
"This is about principles, not personalities," Michael Bowe, Baber's neighbor, said during the meeting.
Baber's supporters surrounded him after the meeting. His lawyer said their next step is to try and get certain codes changed so Baber can keep his business, but her anger and frustration were palpable.
You may have already heard about Fitzpatrick's outburst during the morning meeting from Chad Smith's blog. Fitzpatrick yelled at the Commissioners during the night meeting, too, calling them "fascist insects" and "liars."
After he was escorted out of the auditorium, Fitzpatrick found me and said he knew he'd crossed a line. He said he'd try to tone it down.
"That was 40 years of frustration," he said.
For more about Bruce Baber and the Commission's decision, see today's Independent Florida Alligator.
