Exclusive Florida Community Bans Undocumented Workers

[Texas2step]

Exclusive community bans undocumented workers

Reported by: Bryan Garner
Email: bgarner@wptv.com
Last Update: 5:14 pm

John's Island requires U.S. driver's license or I.D. to work on property (John's Island Property Owners' Assoc.)

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, FL -- John's Island, a luxurious waterfront community of more than 1300 properties, is taking its "exclusive" reputation to a new level.

Starting February 1st, the John's Island Property Owners' Association launched a new policy requiring anyone who wants to trim hedges, clean houses, or do any kind of business in the neighborhood to "have a valid U.S. Driver's License or ID card."

Workers are now asked to show proof of I.D. at the front gate to the development. They're given a copy of the new policy, written in both English and Spanish, which reads: "If you have an employee that is an illegal alien DO NOT send them to John's Island."

The policy goes on to state that anyone without a U.S. license or I.D. will be "turned away."

Chuck Sereika owns Clean House Services, a housekeeping company that's done business on John's Island for two years. He said he recently had an employee who is a U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican heritage turned away at the gate because he did not have his driver's license with him.

"It's profiling," says Sereika, who says neither he nor any of his caucasian employees have been asked to show I.D.

Peter Young, general manager of the John's Island Property Owners' Association says the policy "wasn't geared toward any particular group or ethnicity." He says it was designed to "strengthen our security."

Karen Merrill, vice president of Elliott Merrill Community Management, represents 85 homeowner's and property owner's associations in Indian River County. She says she's never heard of a policy like this.

She says she doesn't see the relationship between keeping out undocumented workers and improving security. She envisions long tie-ups at the security gates as every worker has to present a valid I.D.

Jerry Burr, direcotr of security at John's Island, says his employees have had to turn workers away at the gate, but he says after a month of the policy, most day-laborers who don't have documentation have stopped coming to the community.

He says John's Island has had no problem finding hundreds of landscapers and other laborers who are willing to do work on property who can present a U.S. driver's license or work visas.


http://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Ex ... xZEzg.cspx

[butterbean]

Good for them!

[BigLakeAK]

I am a sales clerk at a liquior store in Wasilla Alaska and I must card everyone. NO matter how old you are. It must be a vaild DL, State ID, Military card or Passport. Do you know what it is like to card every one, every time. Company policy rules. You ask why, that is so I can not profile or discriminate against anyone. When I want to buy ciggerettes I must show my valid ID.

[crazybird]

Chuck Sereika owns Clean House Services, a housekeeping company that's done business on John's Island for two years. He said he recently had an employee who is a U.S. citizen of Puerto Rican heritage turned away at the gate because he did not have his driver's license with him.

"It's profiling," says Sereika, who says neither he nor any of his caucasian employees have been asked to show I.D.

I can't feature going anywhere and not having my license on me. I mean how are they going to know who I am if they find me dead somewhere.....clean underware and your license.....mom wisdom. LOL

[crazybird]

I am a sales clerk at a liquior store in Wasilla Alaska and I must card everyone. NO matter how old you are.

Can't tell you how many times they have done that in phases where I worked. It gets a tad redundant when it's a regular, who has shown their ID countless times, you know who they are and after enough times, don't appreciate being treated like a stranger. But invaribly there'll be one stranger in the line who is offended because they had to show theirs and didn't see your regular show his. I've had people really blow up and get angry and refuse to shop there anymore....or be there obviously senior citizen age, with a cane or walker, having to go through the routien just so it's "fair". Really love it when I'm asked for ID and the cashier isn't even old enough to serve me and they have to get an adult to scan my purchase.

[vortex]

Welcome, BigLake! And were I one of your customers I would be happy to show my DL, and compliment you on guessing that I was too young to buy in your store.
I have to show ID in most stores when I use a credit card, and do so happily, telling the clerk not to laugh at the lousy picture.
And cb, I have solve the clean underwear problem: don't wear any!

[swatchick]

I am sick of the profiling non sense. Illegals from many other countries stay within their own communities, learn English and work for people of the same bakcground. They are under the radar so unless you are from that background you will never know. It is hard to get caught when they blend in unlike others who look for day laborer jobs at the Home Depot or go to rallies waving foreign flags.

[crazybird]

And cb, I have solve the clean underwear problem: don't wear any!

LOL.....problem solved.

And welcome BigLake......glad to have you aboard.

[SOSADFORUS]

Good for them...a community with guts!!

[swatchick]

To me it seems that areas with more wealthier people don't want them in their communities. My daughter works for a police department as a dispatcher and it is in a city with many wealthy people and celebrities and they call ICE on illegals even if they get caught shoplifting items under $25 at the mall. ICE is at the police station all the time as many of the shoplifters are illegals.