Temple Terrace code board issues rulings across 12 property cases, fines and compliance deadlines set

The Municipal Code Enforcement Board of the City of Temple Terrace on March 12, 2025 heard a series of property enforcement cases and issued rulings that ranged from daily fines for ongoing violations to no-fine findings where respondents brought properties into compliance before the hearing.

The board pronounced a repeat violation and daily fine against Circle K at 5602 E. Fowler Ave.; ordered multiple restaurants to submit site plans or remove outdoor seating to meet revised code and ADA-clearance rules; set April 9, 2025 as the compliance deadline for several matters including permit-related and RV/trailer cases; and granted extensions for other ongoing matters such as a demolition project at a fire-damaged house.

The board’s actions followed testimony and photographic evidence presented by city code officers and statements from respondents or their representatives. Laurie Smith, the city’s code compliance officer, presented multiple cases and submitted photographs and affidavits as evidence. She told the board that the city’s findings were based on sworn testimony and documents entered into the record.

Votes at a glance: - Case 25-0620 (City v. Circle K, 5602 E. Fowler Ave.): The board found violations of city code sections 12-1047 (landscape maintenance), 12-1049 (landscaping perimeter) and 12-1043 (plant material and design) and designated the property a repeat violator. The board assessed a daily fine of $75 beginning Feb. 5, 2025 and continuing until the site is brought into compliance. Code compliance officer Laurie Smith presented photos and a prior board finding from 2024; Teresa Wilson, identifying herself as Circle K’s regional director, said she had not received notice until March and that company staff were scheduling repairs. The board approved the city recommendation over one dissent.

- Case 24-4946 (City v. Terrace Ridge Inc., 5509 E. Fowler Ave.): The board found a violation of section 12-234(b)(48)(b) (outdoor seating for restaurants) but accepted an affidavit of compliance and imposed no fine because the respondent had removed the outdoor seating prior to the hearing.

- Case 244597 (residential property; extension request): The board granted an extension for compliance on that case until the board’s next meeting (April 9, 2025). The respondent, Wayne Southern, said sheds and vehicles had been removed and asked for time to finish remaining items; the board approved the extension.

- Case 24-4862 (7021 E. Fletcher Ave., outdoor seating): The board found a violation of 12-234(b)(48)(b) but accepted an affidavit of compliance and imposed no fine because tables and chairs had been removed from the breezeway prior to the hearing. Sam Pastor, an attorney present for one restaurant, said he would submit a site plan to the city for review.

- Case 24-4917 (12260 Morris Bridge Rd., parking lot resurfacing without permit): The board found a violation of section 8-28(a)(1) (permit application required) and ordered the violation corrected by April 9, 2025. The board set a $25-per-day fine to begin if the permit or corrective action is not obtained by that date. Manager Ricardo Peart told the board the contractor agreed to obtain the permit and requested 30 days.

- Case 25-0068 (Crystal D. Herrera, 5401 E. 90th Ave., screened trailer): The board found a violation of section 12-859(2) (RVs, boats and trailers) and ordered correction by April 9, 2025 with a $25-per-day fine to begin if the property is not brought into compliance. Crystal Herrera described using a borrowed trailer to support household income and said she planned to install fencing to screen it.

- Case 24-2353 (James Evans, 11305 E. Queensway Dr., fire-damaged house): The board agreed to extend the compliance deadline to April 9, 2025 to allow for demolition permits and progress toward removing the nuisance structure. Evans said an insurance dispute delayed demolition but that a partial release allowed interior work to begin and he expected to present a contractor schedule at the next meeting.

- Case 24-4665 (610 Hollywood Ave.): The board dismissed the case after determining a permit was not required for the shed involved.

- Case 24-4941 (520 Cockney Dr.): The board found a sanitation/grass-and-weeds violation (section 10-3(b)) but accepted proof that the yard had been mowed before the hearing and imposed no fine.

- Case 24-4945 (5515 E. Fowler Ave., outdoor seating): The board found a violation of 12-234(b)(48)(b) (outdoor seating) and ordered correction by April 9, 2025 with a $25-per-day fine to start if compliance is not achieved. Laurie Smith noted the code revision in 2022 requires a site plan and ADA clearance for outdoor seating; the businesses had not submitted site plans.

- Case 25-0179 (11601 N. River Hills Dr., trailer): The board accepted evidence that a trailer had been removed and found the property in compliance; no fine was imposed.

- Case 25-0547 (9221 N. 56th St., collapsed commercial buffer wall and hydrant access): The board found the site in compliance after repairs were made and imposed no fine.

What happened in the room: city officers routinely submitted photographic evidence and affidavits and respondents or their representatives addressed the board. In several permit-related cases the board explained that a site plan or permit must be submitted to community development for review and that compliance often required meeting ADA and buffer requirements. Code compliance director Tom Barone repeatedly advised respondents that fines begin to accrue if matters are not corrected by the set compliance date and that extensions can be requested at future meetings.

Laurie Smith summarized the city’s standard approach for repeat landscaping violations: "Because it's a repeat violation, the actual fines can begin the day that it was observed, which would be going back to 35 days," and asked the board to weigh gravity and corrective actions when setting fines. Teresa Wilson, identifying herself as Circle K’s regional director, told the board: "I just now received the email about the compliance being out of compliance in March... I have a landscaper meeting me there to take care of the problem." James Evans, regarding his fire-damaged house, said: "I can certainly by the next time... hopefully the contractor will have a schedule by then. I can say when they're gonna be showing up with the bulldozers."

The board closed the meeting after disposing of the remaining agenda items and approved minutes from the February meeting before adjourning.

The board’s rulings create a mix of immediate compliance obligations, fines that will accrue if properties are not corrected by April 9, and opportunities for respondents to return with evidence of remediation or requests for extensions.