Florida Growers Thread

[Tropical]

Lets put this to rest before paranoia takes over this thread;
The incident in question only happened that one time. A local asshole cop kept noticing the same vehicle parked in the back of the store and the guy shopping and did his investigating from there. HIGHLY illegal what the cop did and I can almost promise you the case will get tossed because all the evidence they have will be considered "fruit of the poisonous tree", the poisonous tree being that a warrant was obtained from an investigation that violated the poor bastards rights the moment the cop went passed running the plates to check for a stolen vehicle.
The camera is a security camera.
I will say this right here and now and take it for what it's worth, shopping at a hydro shop is not illegal, not even remotely. It is against the law for an officer to take your tag and conduct an investigation simple because he saw you come out of a hydro shop with a box of lights. Period. Ask any attorney and they will tell you the same thing.
Might as well stand outside of Home depot and take tags of everybody buying wood, you know, just incase it's to build a growroom.
Yes, we can all usually spot a "grower" in a hydro shop, and sometimes so can a cop (like, say, a potleaf bumper sticker) but the law is very clear on what they can do about it and the cop in this particular case clearly violated the mans rights.
This is Florida folks, they don't call it the dirty south because of the McDonalds cups litering Walmart parking lots. Politics and law enforcement that push the edge of your rights are the norm down in this swamp. Don't be flagrant, tell no one, and don't bring a box truck to a hydro shop. (But even THAT is not enough probable cause for you to be followed!)
Know your rights and you'll be much better armed!

***I'm not a lawyer, but I did stay in a holiday in last night And spent A LOT of time in the law library when I was in prison

Even though I am not familiar with that particular case, I think the legal issue involved here is important enough to discuss in a little more detail to keep our fellow growers safe and well stocked on the grow supplies they need.

We all agree that shopping at a hydro store is legal and not probable cause of any crime. Also, the parking lot at the hydro store is a public place where you have no reasonable expectation of privacy. LEO (and their cameras) has as much right to be there as you, and they might see you when they are there. LEO can't use that info to violate your right to privacy, but are you sure they are not allowed to become "interested" in you and decide to look for evidence in ways that don't violate your privacy?

I'm pretty sure that there isn't anything that stops LEO from standing on the public street in front of your house and anything they see (or smell) there can be taken to a judge for a search warrant. I don't think LEO needs any justification to stand on that public street or even walk up to your door and ask to talk to you about the price of tea in China. The garbage you put on the street is considered "abandoned property" that they can freely search too.

As a practical matter, I don't think the police enjoy sifting through garbage and are usually busy with crimes more serious than growing a couple plants in your closet. But, if they see you leave the hydro store with 55 gallon drums of bloom nutes, they might smell a fish big enough to be worth the effort.

Stay safe, but not paranoid, folks.

 

[Ioni Botani]

Yes, Ioni jah loving....no Ioni jah fearing.
We shall not be fearful of our keepers.
Tis their job to protect and serve..
Be Smart.
Be Conscious.
Be NOT Afraid.

 

[good drown]

if they see you at a shop first off they will run the tags, see what your charges are(anything drug related is no good). i think they are all trying to see what you get, how long you are there. i am usually at mine for all of 3 minutes, as i know what i want, usually just a bottle or 2. parking in the rear makes you look like you have something to hide, in my opinion.
yes they can pull your power bill and do visuals outside your house, they can collect your trash as well. once they find stems or a high powerbill, they will get a warrant. i save all my stems, no blunts to have to worry about, and our power is lower than most others.
i have never once driven to the hydro store in my car, and i never will. its an extra piece of mind to know that the info they gather(if there was any) is not mine.

 

[Tropical]

I don't know if the police are allowed run your tags for no reason.

As far as pulling your power bill, I'm pretty sure that your power bill is private. They would need your permission or a subpoena obtained with probably cause.

 

[good drown]

this state is fucked up.
they can run your tag for any reason.
the power companys work with leo. if you read up on it, they always reveiw the power bill BEFORE a warrant is issued. sometime then helicopter is deployed, but usually, doors kicked in.

shopping at the hydro store is like walking down the street at 3am. the cops will stop you if they see you, and ask you a few questions, if all is good, you can keep walking, if not they make up a reason if needed, and search you. shopping at the store is the same thing, if they notice you there, they will usually investigate further. a cop can run a tag for any reason. pulling you over without a reason is what they cannot do, but there are many ways around this. most common is, you fit the description of a recent crime. they use that all the time, and is pretty hard to throw out.
most police know how to work it, they've tried before and failed in court, and learn from their mistakes.
i suggest being overly safe rather than a lack of. but thats just me, i over do everything in my life.

 

[Tropical]

I agree with your main point, that police will do things like (illegally) making you pull over in traffic just because they think you look suspicious. They then make up a fake reason for the traffic stop. If they find ten pounds of mj in your car, they kick out a tail light and say they stopped you for the busted tail light.

Still, I have been to the hydro store many times and have never been approached by the police. There are a lot of hydro stores out there. They must have a lot of customers, but almost all the busts I have ever heard of involve an informant or other source of evidence rather than a visit to the hydro store. The one bust mentioned above is the one exception.

...if you read up on it, they always reveiw the power bill BEFORE a warrant is issued...

I would love to see a link on that if you have one.

 

[good drown]

you should check whether your power company is private. some companies records are not.
prime example of this was a PA company posted all of the address of houses that were delinquent.
i dont have any links off hand. i have been spending the last year reading about houses in fl. there was one about 6 months back that got busted, i think clearwater, and that was florida power. lots of busts down in ft myers also.
it mostly depends on the area you live, if its a huge grow area with lots of arrests, chances are so much higher of getting caught. same thing for hydro stores, if its in a county that died 10 years back and is lacking any economy, but the hydro store is constantly filled, sure, thats a shit load of attention. also, if you go outside your county, that usually is good enough. i used to drive out of state, and would still take a work car.
this is just me, i really do not want to get caught, really.

edit: and side note, many upon many busts never get reported. even though a grow house is "the source" cops often would like to fry a bigger fish

 

[Guest 88950]

i have never once driven to the hydro store in my car, and i never will. its an extra piece of mind to know that the info they gather(if there was any) is not mine.

i dont understand what good this would do.

if you rent a car then your info is on file at the rental car place.

if you use a friend or families car then their info would potentially be collected by leo and how long into questioning will it be revealed that you had the car that day.

if you use a company car then leo will have your employer's info and that cant be good.

if all you gain is peace of mind by not taking your car then by all means do what makes you feel better but i never understood involving anyone unwillingly into your business.

 

[Guest 88950]

if they see you at a shop first off they will run the tags, see what your charges are(anything drug related is no good).

dont assume that everyone who shops at a hydro store has pending charges or even a criminal record b/c i have neither.

you are not obligated to answer any questions from leo and if you chose to then be careful not to incriminate yourself.


alot of the indoor grows around hills. county were busted b/c they were stealing power from teco.

 

[good drown]

my work has thousands of workers and nobody is assigned a vehicle nor do they keep track. grab keys and go. the main office is also out of state and would have no idea now to answer any questions asked by leo.

im no criminal by any means, but all the other people i have seen in the shops, i cant speak for. mine always has a spanish speaking worker, and its usually spanish speaking customers, speaking in spanish, buying lots of stuff.

 

[Tropical]

my work has thousands of workers and nobody is assigned a vehicle nor do they keep track. grab keys and go. the main office is also out of state and would have no idea now to answer any questions asked by leo.

Suh-weet! From now on, you're our designated driver.

 

[good drown]

what really sketched me out, was this. before this happened, i had only been to the hydro store 2-3 times before. i go with the wife in not our car. i buy like 500 worth of stuff, a huge filter, soil, buckets. i ask the guy some basic questions, and he seems to not know much of anything. i ring up, pay and leave. as soon as i pull away, he gets on the phone, all while walking towards the window staring at me, and makes a call. I instantly got chills, but i knew it wast tracable. then wifey says, did you notice that? i say what, she was like, that guy, was staring at you weird the whole time you were in there. I was high as fuck so i didnt notice, but i did notice the lack of knowledge, and i had never seen him before. she also said, and what was up with him staring at us and making a call when we left.
ive gone back 20+ times, never seen that guy again. i am glad i dont drive my own car.

 

[Guest 88950]

good drown, good to hear the company car cant be traced back to you. damn, i want a company car. j/k

that would probably sketch me out also, would find another store.

 

[komrade komura]

A healthy level of paranoia is good for survival.

But action is even better. Superglue works wonders on door locks.

 

[Ioni Botani]

Hey there FLA peeps! Sorry to detour from this tangent, but I was wondering a little something about FALL BACK. Should I switch my timers back an hour? Sorry this is my first season, and its the little tings that still have yet to sort themselves out.
T'ankya!
Ioni.
PS. I drive right up to the front of my hydro store.....walk right up to the front door, make my purchases, and walk right out. HTG SUPPLY in Melbourne. Good guys and great service. I keep all of my other bases covered....so....its not important to me. I even have a (small) record and....DUN DUN DUNNNNN
DREADS!
My only fear is that Florida's growers will remain paranoid....
Thus perpetuating the eternal cycle of them intimidating and us being scared.
FUCK THE POLICE. Coming straight out the underground.
Don't be scared.
DON'T PANIC.
Does anybody think they were scared on the west coast when medicinal was passed?
Im sure.
But they kept on growing anyways.
And now look. They AREN'T being ignored anymore.
Hell they might even get 21 and up......and we'll still be.....
SCARED.
Hah.


It's a long, long way we're coming from
To send this message across, across
Its been hidden, forbidden, concealed, unrevealed
Its got to come out In the open that -

BABYLON IS FALLING
BABYLON IS FALLING

It was foolish to build It on the sand
Handsworth shall stand, firm - like Jah rock
- fighting back
We once beggars are now choosers
No intention to be losers
Striving forward with ambition
And if it takes ammunition
We rebel in Handsworth revolution

Dread town, dread town, dread town,
Dread town, dread town, dread town,

Dread we are for a cause
Deprived of many things
Experienced phoney laws
Hatred Babylon brings
We know what we got to offer
We know what's going on
Don't want no favours
Cause there is still hunger
Innocent convicted
Poor wage, hard labour
Only Babylon prospers
And humble suffer

-Steel Pulse

 

[Ioni Botani]

By the way...
I cant believe you all are still talking about this...two days later....
You should be ashamed.

 

[Guest 18340]

I'll tell you what, if I had access to company cars like good drown does, I'd be running an escort service
Just breaking balls.
It's never a bad idea to be careful. I'm mindful of who comes into the 'dro shop while I'm their and who's parked outside.
I'm a little older (41) and the time I did in prison really opened my eyes to how the law works. So I use their own laws to protect myself. Wanna search my car officer? Not unless you have probable cause. My criminal record? Whats that got to do with why you're pulling me over, and besides, its none of your business. And if the handcuffs come out, then my mouth gets zipped until my lawyer shows up.
Its a tuff game. People have alot to lose and Florida will take the skin off your ass if they can, so I dont blame some folks for going thru measures to cover themselves.
Stay safe and live to grow another day, by any means necessary

 

[natrone23]

Hows all you ole timers doing this Monday drier weather feels good.

Spent 10 hours trimmin and whatnot on sunday ( watching football to).

Dam lower back is sore today from sitting and leaning over.



smoked some scissor hash woo no more pain

 

[Meaty]

Hey there FLA peeps! Sorry to detour from this tangent, but I was wondering a little something about FALL BACK. Should I switch my timers back an hour? Sorry this is my first season, and its the little tings that still have yet to sort themselves out.

No leave your timers the same. It will cause stress if anything due to the fluxuation in time.

If you did switch them it shouldn't cause too much harm, though I am not sure, I just leave mine the same.

 

[Guest 88950]

ioni, leave it like it is.

i woke up a little high from the middle of the night smoke and was freaking out b/c my lights were on at 6am. after a few seconds of my heart racing trying to figure out why they were on i remembered the the time went back. i had to get up b/c i was fully awake.