City Hall Cover-Up (Part 1)
This timeline shows how multiple layers of city oversight have failed to prevent and, in some cases, facilitated fraudulent activity regarding residential rehabilitation.
1. Failure of Initial Oversight
In May and June of 2025, City Housing and Rehabilitation Specialist Philip Large performed two inspections and certified the property as passing for the release of $37,894.00 in grant funds. In reality, the home was structurally unsound at the time of purchase. (06/26/25.) A recent email from City Manager Shawn Sherrouse acknowledged these inspections but states the city has “no further authority,” effectively blaming me, the homeowner for justifiably relying on the city’s official verification of safety, which was also paid for by the grant and a mandatory requirement for the funds to be released.
2. Systemic Discrepancies
February 13, 2026- I filed a formal code enforcement complaint regarding structural repairs scheduled without the issuance of a permit. Despite a “stop work” order verbally confirmed- via phone call- from Joie Brownlow on February 16th (the day work started), work continued. The city issued a permit tied (manually linked) to an incorrect parcel/address, and the Notice of Commencement was signed by the HOA President, not me. An amended Notice of Commencement followed, stating the owner of my parcel is the HOA itself, signed by the HOA President. I also have records of permits for the other units in my building, which reveal price and date discrepancies.
3. Evidence of Administrative Misconduct
On February 16, 2026, my complaint was closed as “unfounded” solely because a permit was issued- not because the site was verified as safe. Code Enforcement Officer Joie Brownlow states in the internal city emails that he spoke with Chief Building Inspector Franklin Adams and replied, “I think they are addressing this on their end,” referring to the Building and Inspection Division. This hand-off served as the administrative justification for code enforcement to stop investigating; however, there is no record of the Building Division ever conducting any interior inspection or verifying the safety of the structure.
4. Fabrication of Documentation
The City’s records include a fraudulent “Acknowledgement of Occupancy” stating my building was unoccupied during construction. My son and I were living in the residence the entire time, and we were never notified to evacuate. I have evidence, including correspondence with City staff regarding inspections, verifying our continuous occupancy.
5. Incomplete Inspection Logs
I have attached my inspection log as well as the inspection logs for the unit right beside mine. These logs state that the City inspected units in isolation, despite the fact that the building shares a single roof across four units. It is structurally impossible to safely “pass” one unit without verifying the integrity of the shared structural system. The absurdity of this inspection ignores the fundamental safety of the building’s shared foundation and roof structure.
My son and I have been constructively evicted since April 6 due to the uninhabitable state of our home. I anticipate that both the city and the HOA will point to the past inspection logs for the roof permit. Please note, work started on Feb 16th, and the first inspection wasn’t recorded until Feb 19th, and noted “sodden wood” despite any active or recent rainfall. My signed and sealed Beryl Engineering Report confirms the roof structure has fundamentally failed and requires a complete replacement, not just a surface fix.
According to the email I received from City Manager Shawn Sherrouse, Chief Building Inspector Franklin Adams evaluated and responded to the Beryl Engineering Report on May 14th. I have yet to read any response regarding this, but by asserting an administrative “evaluation” over the signed and sealed report of a Licensed Professional Engineer, Franklin Adams is assuming significant professional and legal liability. He is choosing to disregard verified, structural failure in favor of an undocumented “desk review.” This decision places the city’s liability and every family in the three attached units at extreme risk. That constitutes an act of professional recklessness that prioritizes the city officials over the lives of Lakeland citizens. The email also disregards my email to them discussing the locked status on the permit. I was told over the phone that the permit was locked. That came straight from the woman I was speaking to on the phone in the building department.
Brittany Singletary
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