Code board continues dock case after owner cites South Florida Water Management backlog

The Code Enforcement Board of Lake Clark Shores continued a case about an unpermitted dock at 7012 Venetian Way to the board’s Sept. 25, 2025 hearing after the property representative said the South Florida Water Management District was still processing a permit application. Board Chair Paul Hughes presided over the Aug. 27 hearing.

The property representative, Jorge Pena, told the board he has submitted plans and correspondence to SFWMD and that the district has been slow to respond. "I have, like, everything that we send them and the email that we send them, and I haven't been able to, you know, anything until they give us the permit," Pena said. Code enforcement officer Eric Rich Wagon told the board SFWMD has a backlog and that it can take about three weeks for the district to reply to submittals.

The board’s decision to continue followed discussion about whether the dock could be temporarily disabled rather than fully removed. Board members discussed unbolting planks to render the structure unusable, but members noted that unbolting would not produce formal compliance while piles remain in place. Bill (board member) moved to continue the matter; the motion carried.

Why it matters: the town enforces its local code but relies on regional agencies such as SFWMD for approval of structures on waterways. The continuation gives the property owner additional time to obtain any required SFWMD approval while preserving the town’s enforcement timeline.

At the hearing the board recorded that the case would be continued to the Sept. 25, 2025 code enforcement meeting. The record shows the board did not start a daily fine at the Aug. 27 hearing and that the owner said he would continue the SFWMD application and, if necessary, remove the dock within about a week if ordered to do so.