DAYTONA BEACH SHORES, Fla.,None — For years, WFTV has been following a fight between an eccentric homeowner and the city of Daytona Beach Shores.
The man who calls himself "Prince Mongo" turned his yard into a protest. WFTV was there when the county came out Monday to clean it up.
The battle between Robert Hodges and Volusia County is years old, but Monday the county's code enforcement department brought heavy equipment to the fight.
Good for some neighbors, but not for Hodges who is better known as "Prince Mongo" to locals. Monday he was out of town as neighbors watched a diesel powered shovel clear his yard of the piles of sand, the underwear, and strange decorations.
The collage of stuff has drawn steady streams of onlookers, and neighbors want it to stop.
"It's careless, you know. I have my little son that's always playing outside and we don't appreciate it," said Alejandra Quadrino, neighbor.
It all started back when Hodges blamed his neighbors for making him tear out a deck he didn't have a permit for. That's when he decided to be what he referred to as artistic in order to communicate.
"This is just something he does to upset people," said Quadrino.
Since then, the county has sent Hodges code violation after code violation for having an unkempt lawn and he has fought them all.
Now the county hired a contractor to come out and remove everything in the yard. They're going to charge him for it as well as file a lien against the property. The county said Hodges received a notice and had 15-days to clean the yard himself or file an appeal, but he didn't do either.
Hodges will have to pay the county hundreds of dollars or more for the clean up. WFTV did reach him by phone and he said he plans on filing a lawsuit against the county.
WFTV
