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Residents press Town of Loxahatchee Groves to enforce code after years of alleged illegal dumping, RVs and unpermitted renters
Summary
Multiple residents told the Town Council they have spent years documenting manure dumping, commercial truck traffic and what they say are unpermitted apartments and RVs on Hyde Park Road and nearby properties. Town staff said fines are accruing, foreclosures are being considered and daily inspections have increased.
Residents from Hyde Park Road and other neighborhoods urged the Town of Loxahatchee Groves Council to escalate enforcement after describing what they called years of recurring illegal activity at nearby properties.
The council heard multiple public comments describing heavy truck traffic, large volumes of dumped horse manure near a drainage canal and what residents said were unpermitted apartments and trailers on the same parcel. “This person is being allowed to dump horse manure by the dump truck loads into a pond that is feet away from the canal,” resident Sandy Schafer told the council during public comment. “Open dumping of sewage … is being dumped, right into a pond.”
Residents said they have supplied photos and videos to staff and that the problem has persisted for years. Frank Standish said the issue has spread along Okeechobee Boulevard and into side streets: “We have to put a time limit on our code cases. Two years or more is reasonably, you know, enough time for something to go through the paces.”
Town Manager Francine (first name on the record) described the sequence staff is using for repeat code violators and confirmed the town has increased site visits: “As soon as we threatened foreclosure, they immediately hired an attorney and started making some of the changes that we asked for,” she said. She also said staff has been visiting the property “just about every day” after receiving resident calls and that fines continue to accrue.
Francine outlined three outcomes that typically resolve prolonged code cases: compliance and cessation of fines; liens attached to the property (which must be cleared at sale or refinance); or foreclosure. She cautioned, however, that foreclosure is not always decisive when a larger lien exists on a property ahead of the town’s lien.
Council members and staff repeatedly described constraints in the process: state-mandated notice periods, magistrate hearing schedules and resource limits in the town’s code enforcement program. Council members said the town had added a foreclosure tool to its ordinances in the past year and that a number of high-dollar files are currently under legal review.
The council and staff discussed operational steps they were taking, including daily inspections, continuing fines and legal review of liens and potential foreclosure. Town staff also said they have asked residents to use the town’s formal code-enforcement portal to improve case tracking.
Ending: Residents who testified said they will return with further evidence if they see no action. Town staff and council members said they will continue daily inspections, pursue fines and escalate the largest, long-running cases toward potential foreclosure or other legal remedies.
