9 days ago
TAMPA, Florida - He wanted a six-foot privacy wall like his Davis Islands neighbor, Derek Jeter, so badly, Anthony Sullivan copied his request for a code variance word-for-word. Unfortunately for Billy Mays' former partner on the TV show "Pitchmen," the city's Variance Review Board (VRB) may not see him in the same light.
Sullivan, who didn't respond to multiple requests for comment, was set to appear before the VRB on Tuesday night. However, scheduling conflicts delayed his hearing until January.
The request for a six-foot-tall wall, twice the city's current limit, was officially filed by business partner Pete Donegian. It claims (like Jeter's request) that "based on public figure status of occupant, security concerns...require (a) six-foot high fence."
And while the Davis Islands Civic Association opposes the move based on the possible precedent set, neighbors were lining up to ask the board to reject the claim based on what they called the request's absurdity.
"There's nobody driving by just to see Anthony Sullivan's home," said neighbor Linda Misner, who said the home is used more as a set for informercials than a residence for the pitchman. "There's no security concerns, except for maybe the production crew."
She also scoffed at his suggestion - copied from Jeter's request - that a wall would help neighbors by "reducing foot and auto traffic" on the quiet street.
Misner also said she was concerned about the precedent the exemption would set, saying "We sure don't need house after house with a six-foot fence. That's not what Davis Islands are about."
Jeter's request was approved in September after his lawyer and some neighbors demonstrated a "hardship" necessitating a wall. His mansion-in-the-making was already drawing massive attention from tourists.
Sullivan, however, will have a tougher time claiming a "hardship" that could get his request approved. When 10 Connects spent an afternoon in front of his Adalia Avenue home, there was no evidence of any increased traffic or curious onlookers.
As blogged on DIBuzz.com, the tough question for Tampa's Variance Review board will be if "there a difference in celebrity between a well-known television pitchman and a world-champion major league shortstop." The question is scheduled to be answered in January.
Follow 10 Connects reporter Noah Pransky on Twitter at www.twitter.com/noahpransky or Facebook at www.facebook.com/noahpransky.
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