Board of Adjustment grants two survey-cleanup variances but denies pergola variances at 720 Isle Of Palms Drive

The Fort Lauderdale Board of Adjustment granted two variances to correct surveying discrepancies for a house at 720 Isle Of Palms Drive and, in a separate vote, denied three variance requests tied to a freestanding pergola in the backyard, the board said during a hearing.

The decisions matter because the denial means the after-the-fact pergola does not meet the Unified Land Development Regulations and could be subject to code-enforcement action, including removal, after review by the special magistrate.

Andrew Schein, attorney representing the property owner, told the board the case returned after the applicant obtained a new survey that showed small differences from the original survey. He said the first two variances were “just cleaning up old surveying discrepancies” and that “the house itself . . . has not moved.” Schein also described the pergola as a shading device installed in September 2023 after the homeowner, identified in the record as Mrs. Quarterman, was diagnosed with skin cancer: “She decided…