County officials in Dover, Fla., on Friday ordered the Airsteam Ranch sculpture — which is 7 1/2 Airstream trailers planted into the ground along Interstate 4 — dismantled within 30 days for violating zoning and other regulations, reported the St. Petersburg Times.
Airstream Ranch was directly inspired by Cadillac Ranch on Route 66 west of Amarillo, Texas.
If owner Frank Bates doesn’t comply, he faces a fine of up to $100 a day. He has the option of applying for rezoning, however.
During the code enforcement board hearing, it sounded like a colorful scene:
At the hearing, art experts told board members that Airstream Ranch, like Cadillac Ranch, is a work of art.
“It’s emblematic of the nomadic nature of people who visit Florida,” said Wallace Wilson, director of the University of South Florida’s art school.
But code enforcement officials backed away from interpreting art and focused instead on rules.
About 40 people attended the meeting to support Bates, many of them in “Save Airstream Ranch” T-shirts.
Some neighbors are complaining about increased traffic in the area since those Airstreams were placed into the Florida soil, and others complain it’s an eyesore.
Bates hopes to work out a compromise with neighbors, including landscaping and building a wall to block residents’ views.
As much as Route 66 attracts me, I can’t support the definition of “art” being applied to half sunk trailers. Particularly if the owner failed to follow the proper procedures for compliance with his local coding laws.
What would you perfer to look at on the side of a highway, a farmers lot with old trucks, old tractors and framing equipment left to rust, or something interesting and YES ARTISH, if that is the proper word, GO see it it is CLEAN AND COOL..
I would agree with Carla. Everyone needs to comply with local zoning codes. There were other options available to Bates but he refuses to abide by the law.
No sympathy here.
An avid fan of vintage travel trailers. It’s too bad to hear the site will be torn down. Next time, the owner should make up a facebook page- there are a lot of supporters on the web.