Adult Neighbor Tries to Shut Down 12-Year-Old's Lemonade Stand

— -- At first glance, 12-year-old T.J. Guerrero’s neighborhood lemonade stand might be seen as a classic example of the nostalgic childhood rite of passage. Guerrero sells lemonade to neighbors and passers-by for $1 and chocolate chip cookies for 50 cents during the summer and after school, using the profits to take his cousins to Chuck E. Cheese’s or his mother to Busch Gardens amusement park.

“I really just want to help my family,” Guerrero told ABC News affiliate Action News. “I think it shows other kids that you don’t always have to take money from your parents. You can help them, too.”

Guerrero’s Dunedin, Florida, stand, though, is not just your typical after-school activity. It has become a rallying point for community members after Guerrero’s 61-year-old neighbor tried to have the stand shut down.

“When will this illegal nonsense ... stop?” Doug Wilkey wrote in reference to the lemonade stand in an email complaint to city officials on June 11 that was obtained by ABC News. “This is the value of the home that I have owned for 32 years getting ravaged! This is costing me thousands of dollars in home value & my taxes should be reduced accordingly!”

According to Guerrero’s mother’s partner, Wilkey never directly complained to Guerrero or his family.

The city of Dunedin responded by sending a community police officer to the neighborhood to assess the situation.

“He canvassed the neighborhood for any traffic or safety issues, spoke to all the neighbors, in addition to Mr. Wilkey, and nobody had any concerns at all about the operation,” Dunedin City Manager Robert DiSpirito told ABC News. “He brought the complaint to us in terms of a neighborhood nuisance. Anyone is entitled to their opinions, but we did not see any rules being violated.”

Wilkey, who could not be reached for comment, lives next door to where Guerrero sets up shop. Other neighbors have no issues with the stand.

“That is absolutely crazy,” Todd Raymond, a resident for more than 15 years, told ABC Action News. “Someone drives by and sees a 12-year-old selling lemonade. That inflates property value!”

Community members have rallied behind Guerrero, buying drinks in droves. Local radio station 102.5 heard the story and worked with Guerrero Monday at his stand, raising more than $1,000 for Guerrero. The mayor even stopped by.

“I think it is a great show of entrepreneurship. This 12-year-old is setting a great example,” Dunedin Mayor Dave Eggers told ABC Action News. “I don’t know what the other neighbor’s problem is, but I would like to talk to him to try to figure it out.”

Guerrero has no plans to stop selling treats to locals.

“I know my one neighbor does not support this,” he said. “But it makes me want to work even harder. I just can't believe all these people care. It makes me feel so wonderful.”