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Neighbors urge denial of setback variance at 150 Gulf Coast Circle; board record does not show final tally
Summary
Jonathan Hall asked the board for a special exception to reduce a 25-foot setback to 13 feet at 150 Gulf Coast Circle. Multiple neighbors and an HOA board member opposed the request; the transcript does not contain a clear roll-call vote or final outcome.
April 1, 2025 — Jonathan Hall asked the City of Port St. Joe Planning and Development Board to grant a special exception to reduce the front/rear setback at 150 Gulf Coast Circle from 25 feet to 13 feet, a 12-foot reduction, during the board’s April 1 meeting. Neighbors and a homeowners association board member opposed the request, citing loss of privacy, potential property devaluation and neighborhood covenants.
Hall told the board he previously withdrew a similar application and hoped to proceed without repeating past delays. “I submitted this earlier last year … I lost $1,600,” Hall said. He described the current proposal as a screened porch framed on an existing slab.
Several neighbors spoke against the variance. James Michael Gill, who identified himself as the owner of the adjacent property at 3595 Garrison, presented photos and argued a permanent screen room placed closer to his fence would be highly visible from his living room and could reduce the resale value of his property. “A permanent structure 10 feet closer to our fence line would only exacerbate the proximity issue and it has a real impact on resale value of our property,” Gill said.
Trish Roberts, who said she sits on the HOA board, said she inspected the site and would not have purchased her home had the proposed porch already existed. “I think it would devalue the property, and I think it would make it harder to sell,” Roberts said. Gary Johnson, a resident and former HOA board member, noted neighborhood covenants and said the subdivision’s covenants prohibit exceeding setbacks.
Board staff told the board the standard setback for the zoning district is 25 feet and that the applicant sought a special exception to reduce that to 13 feet. Staff also said the city received a letter from the HOA; neighbors told the board the HOA’s written position was ambiguous—one letter conditionally approving construction “as long as it meets all city building codes and setbacks,” while other HOA communications indicated the board did not approve an exception to covenants.
Board members discussed precedent, noting the request represented a larger reduction than the minor variances typically granted in past cases and expressing concern about creating a precedent that would make it difficult for the HOA to enforce covenants. The transcript records a motion and a second and the chair asking for a vote but does not include a clear roll-call tally or a written motion outcome in the record.
Next steps were not specified on the transcript. The board did not record a written condition, implementation timeline, or referral for additional study in the meeting record.
