Her neighbors have Ring cameras. She installed one but she was told to take it down. Why? She thinks she knows and it’s why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser. Brickell. Filled with multimillion-dollar condos. A crowded busy place. Evelin remembers Brickell before it was this Brickell. Evelin Barriel: “I’ve lived in this building for 25 years and this building was built, low income back then. Nothing is low income here at Casa Grande One Towers now. Just fun for Evelin to watch from her balcony. Evelin Barriel: “You just go anywhere and people watch, which is great because it’s always so diverse here.” And speaking of watching, four years ago, Evelin installed a Ring camera outside her sixth floor unit for protection. Four years passed. Evelin Barriel: “I received an email with a letter saying that I needed to get the Ring removed. If not, I would get $100 per day fine.” Evelin was told her camera was invading the privacy of her neighbor across the hall. Evelin Barriel: “I even asked my neighbor across the hall. I said, ‘Does my Ring bother you?’ She said, ‘Absolutely not.'” We walked around the building with Evelin. Evelin Barriel: “There you go, one Ring.” We stopped counting after seeing six residents with Ring cameras and some, including the board president, with a security camera. Evelin Barriel: “Why aren’t you treating me like everybody else?” Evelin was told the board approved her neighbors cameras. She asked for an application for a Ring camera. She says they wouldn’t give it to her. Instead, Evelin says, she got another letter from the board president. Evelin Barriel: “She wants a background check for my husband with Social Security number.” Evelin’s husand has lived here for years but Evelin says it’s not about her husband, it’s because of this. Evelin Barriel: “Its been leaking for the last five and a half months.” A condo pipe is leaking into Evelin’s bathroom. When the board refused to fix it, Evelin contacted the City of Miami, which cited the condo association. Evelin calls what’s happening to her now retaliation for reporting the leak. Evelin Barriel: “Not only retaliate, harass. It’s a harassment. Constant harassment.” Her condo used to be quiet and calm. Busy on Brickell is nice but not what she wants inside her building. Evelin Barriel: “Where we live, there should be quality of life and there is no quality of life now.” Well, Howard, legally what can a condo owner do in a case like this? Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “A condo association can either allow or disallow cameras but they cannot allow it for some and not for others. That’s called selective enforcement. It’s illegal. And if a board member does this to retaliate against Evelin’s complaint to code enforcement, its a lawsuit that will cost all the residents money in legal fees.” We contacted Edna Cardona, the president of the association. She referred us their attorney. Regarding Evelin’s selective enforcement accusation, he wrote “The association is investigating other matters in connection to her, therefore, they will not be making any comments.” Clearly Evelin needed an attorney and Michael Rajtar offered to help her through this phase for free. Michael Rajtar: “And it’s a situation where I believe that the president just has an issue with this person, not with this camera itself.” Michael got the board to send Evelin an application for a Ring camera. The board president denied it. Court is on the horizon. Michael Rajtar: “File a what’s called pre-suit mediation, try and mediate the issue before going to court.” The legal fees could continue to pile up for the board because Evelin is not giving up. Evelin Barriel: “I will not be intimidated. I will not be stepped on. I will not be bullied.” If I had a nickel for every person who has told me they will never live under the thumb of a condo board, I would have a big pile of nickels. We will follow Evelin’s case to let you know what happens. Of course the fact is, most condo boards are good. But if you have a board that you think is out to get you or breaking the rules, fight back. Get on the board or toss them out in a recall. Feel like you have been wacked by a board? Picture this. You ring us up to bring our camera in to shine a light on them. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News. CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:Email: [email protected]: Patrick Fraser at [email protected]: 305-953-WSVNBroward: 954-761-WSVN