Fort Lauderdale code board grants extensions, imposes fines across dozens of property cases

The Fort Lauderdale Code Enforcement Board on March 25, 2025, voted on dozens of code-enforcement cases across the city, granting time-limited compliance extensions in most matters and imposing monetary fines in several older or unresolved files.

The board, chaired by Terry Nolan, heard presentations from city inspectors and property owners or their representatives. Senior inspectors Jorge Martinez, Jose Saragusti and Andrew Gebbia presented the bulk of the city’s cases, repeatedly citing work performed “without obtaining the required permits” under the Florida Building Code. City staff most frequently sought 63-day or 119-day extensions for property owners to obtain permits and finish corrective work; where the case record showed repeated noncompliance or no contact with the owner, the board sometimes voted to impose fines that will continue to accrue until the work is completed.

Why it matters: Code-enforcement orders affect property owners’ legal exposure and, where fines accrue or liens are pursued, can lead to financial penalties or sale complications. Many homeowners who told the board they had bought properties after unpermitted work said they were unaware of earlier violations and asked for time to obtain permits.

What the board did: In brief, the panel's actions fell into three patterns: (1) grant a time-limited extension and pause fines while permits are processed; (2) find violations exist, set a compliance deadline and allow fines to accrue if owners do not comply; (3) in some long-standing matters, impose fines and send the case to collection or further…