Duval County

City cited man for having school bus on his property, he said he can’t work without it

By Brittney Verner
By Brittney Verner

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville toymaker was cited for having a school bus on his property. The city said it shouldn’t be there, but Raymond Zipple said he can’t work without it.

“This is a bus we were using for the last six years with permits from the city,” Zipple said.

Zipple is 88 years old and said making toys has been his hobby for years.

“I don’t make a profit. I have to buy the wheels and buy stuff, and it’s just, like, a turnaround. And it’s just something that keeps me going, and I enjoy doing it,” Zipple said.

He said the bus broke down a year ago and since then, he’s had two separate mechanics try to fix it but had no luck. A few days ago, someone from the city said he had 10 days to remove it from his property.

“Oh, this guy said even if it was an RV, we couldn’t park it on our property. He said this is suburbia through here. I’ve been here since 1958,” Zipple said.

Zipple lives on a private road and said he’s never been given any citations until now. We reached out to the city to find out the reason for the citation. City officials said if he doesn’t remove the bus, they will come out again and give him 48 hours to remove it. If he still doesn’t comply,the city will send its own tow truck to remove it.

“What I want is help, somebody that can help me out to where I don’t have to move my bus and let me keep going. I don’t know how much longer I can go. I’ll be 89 next year in October, but I love making toys,” Zipple said.

© 2019 Cox Media Group

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