Jim King’s utilities at his Christmas tree lot have been shut off — again.
Right before King’s peak selling week — Thanksgiving week — the city removed his power meter, leaving him and his customers in the dark. “They’re trying to drive me off my land and sabotage my business,” King said of the city.
The tree vendor said the utility worker removing his meter told him that King failed to call and schedule a final inspection. King has no clue what inspection the city is referring to, and he’s yet to get an explanation.
King has sold Christmas trees, as well as pumpkins, from lots around town for years, but Christmas by King has been operating out of a lot at 3503 Financial Plaza across from the Publix on Thomasville Road since 2018.
And this isn’t the first time the city has pulled the plug on King’s power right before the holiday season. Three years ago, the city turned off the lot’s utilities after he requested a permit to build a structure on the property.
This year, King decided to try his luck again and submit a request for a building permit. The next month, King found himself without power.
“The city wants to drive me off my land because they want to steal the property,” King said.
The Tallahassee Fire Department’s fire marshal, Jason Greisl, said King files for a permit to put up a tent over his lot every year. And every year, the fire marshal inspects the property to ensure fire codes are met.
This holiday season, they weren’t: “It’s a memorable moment every year going to pick out a Christmas tree and we just want to ensure everyone’s safe,” Griesl said.
King has already made strides to correct some of the issues like fire safety code violations and exit sign violations, Greisl said. They’ve been working with King on a daily basis to get everything up to code to restore his power.
In the meantime, Christmas by King is running on generators until the property is up to snuff.
Greisl said he couldn’t speak to King’s statements that the city wants to run him out of business, but King is firm in his belief that this is the main driver behind the untimely power disconnection. He said the city has made it very clear it wants the land, and he likened the pressure city staff is putting on him to the pressure Russia is putting on Ukraine.
“Welcome to Moscow,” he said.
Local government watchdog reporter Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Humbug? Christmas by King left in lurch after city turned off power
Reporting by Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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