Neighborly Bad Blood, To The Max

We've all had problems with neighbors, but two Florida towns take it to extremes.

People in one,

In the first part of a series on The Early Show about not-so-neighborly disputes, Smith was in Southwest Ranches on an early Sunday morning as residents were up and throwing their weekly block party.

Smith says it was no cheerful soiree, though. They were actually out to taunt their neighbors, blocking people on their way to church, using RVs, big bales of hay — anything they could think of — to block roads.

They're protesting traffic, Smith explains, saying, "The residents of Southwest Ranches are fed up with the urban masses of Pembroke Pines cutting through their quiet streets.

"To make them do all this, zigzag around the community, it's not right," says Kenneth Albin Sr., pastor of the Abundant Living Church.

Southwest Ranches Town Administrator John Canada admits to having reservations about blocking routes to a house of worship but adds, "It's the only way we could get their attention; nothing happened until we started blocking roads."

Residents insist they're fighting for their rural way of life; a shrinking bastion of country living. With urban development looming to the north and south, they say desperate times call for desperate measures.

Asked if neighbors have become enemies, Canada says: "There's been some hard feelings."

"It's an everyday fight and a battle and a struggle," says Southwest Ranches resident Denise Schroeder, "and none of us want to give up."

Gay Chaples, who's lived in Southwest Ranches for 45 years, dismisses assertions by some Pembroke Pines residents that Southwest Ranches residents are ridiculous.

"They think we're nuts, they absolutely think we're crazy, Southwest Ranch people are crazy," she says, but "if we didn't fight for what we want, we wouldn't be Americans."

Southwest Ranches put up strategic roadblocks around town to keep out thru traffic.

Southwest Ranches resident Doug McKay videotapes blockade activity, sometimes into the wee hours, and says he catches people moving barricades, shoving them with their vehicles, but he comes after they leave and puts them back up. Again and again.

The neighbors in Pembroke Pines aren't amused, Smith reports. They assert that the roadblocks hinder residents from getting to the hospital in a timely fashion, and are threatening to sue.

"This is not just a little inconvenience," says Gary Feder of Pembroke Pines. "This is literally doubling the amount of time it takes to go to the hospital."

Pembroke Pines Town Commissioner Iris Siple says it could amount to a matter of life and death, another allegation Chaples dismisses.

"That's such a crock. Now we have three hospitals, state-of-the-art hospitals within five miles of anybody, going in any direction, even with the barriers," Chaples says.

"Every time they want to get through," says Southwest Ranches' Schroeder, " 'It's an emergency' or 'the kids are sick' or 'I got to get to the airport.' "

She says she doesn't buy any of those stories.

But Pembroke Pines Commissioner Siple simply says of the barriers erected by Southwest Ranches folks, "How dare they?"

Whatever happened to "Love they neighbor"?

"We tried that," says Southwest Ranches' Administrator Canada. "Been there, done that. It didn't work."

Since Hurricane Wilma tore through town, the gates have all been opened so emergency workers can get through.

Some neighbors say this is an opportunity to negotiate a truce, Smith reports, but others promise that as soon as cleanup is over, the gates are going back up.