Seminole County Board of Adjustment approves six residential setback and accessory-structure variances

The Seminole County Board of Adjustment on a February 2025 meeting approved six variance requests allowing homeowners to keep or add structures that encroach on required yard setbacks, and continued two agenda items to next month.

Board members granted variances for: a 504-square-foot accessory building at 1003 Sheffield Court; an enclosed storage-room addition at 1531 Boyer Street tied to building code violation CV24-297; a 706.25-square-foot ground-mounted solar array at 831 Blue Tide Lane; a 1,500-square-foot detached carport at 2484 (Phone Run); a 96.6-square-foot closet addition at 416 Village View Lane; and a 299-square-foot front-yard carport addition at 618 Lakeshore Drive. Items listed as 1675 Astor Farms Place and 315 North Orange Avenue (agenda items 2 and 3) were continued.

Why it matters: Board of Adjustment decisions permit homeowners to legalize existing structures or add new ones that would otherwise violate Seminole County development standards. Several approvals were backed by neighbor or homeowners association letters; one approval resolved an active building code violation.

Most significant approvals

1003 Sheffield Court — accessory building: Development Services staff described item 1 as a request to construct a 504-square-foot building (14 by 36 feet) that “encroaches 9 and a half feet into the rear yard setback.” Applicant Greg Butcher, who said he has lived at the address 25 years, told the board he wants a single, solid building to store two restored Volkswagens and to free up garage space. The board approved the variance; Judge Bravo made the motion and Vice Chair Wright seconded.

1531 Boyer Street — storage-room addition / CV24-297: Staff said an enclosed 16-by-20-foot storage room was added to a detached garage without a permit, creating building code violation CV24-297. Applicant Robert Scott said the structure has been present for approximately 10 years and is used for "dry storage," and noted neighbors directly behind and to the right of the property had no objection. The board approved the variance; Judge Bravo moved and Vice Chair Wright seconded. Staff and the applicant confirmed the structure will still need to pass building-permit review for structural and code compliance.

831 Blue Tide Lane — ground-mounted solar: Staff described a proposed ground-mounted solar panel system of 706.25 square feet that would encroach 15 feet into the required rear yard setback in the PD (planned development) district. Applicant Carlos Sierra said the array’s highest point is 5 feet, below the neighborhood fence height, and that the Park Homeowners Association submitted approval along with a neighbor letter of support. The board approved the variance; the motion was by Vice Chair Wright and seconded by Judge Bravo.

2484 (Phone Run) — detached carport and accessory size: Staff said the proposal would replace a former pole barn and place a 1,500-square-foot covered carport (exceeding the accessory-structure maximum of 838 square feet) with a 780-square-foot concrete slab remaining from the pole barn to be reused. Applicant Buck Reed confirmed the pole barn had been removed and the concrete slab remains. The board approved the variance; Judge Bravo moved and Mr. Wright seconded.

416 Village View Lane — walk-in-closet addition: Staff described a roughly 7-by-13.8-foot addition (about 96.6 square feet) encroaching about 3 feet into the required side-yard setback in a plan development district. Applicant Jennifer Clary told the board the homeowners association approved the project and that side neighbors had no objection. The board approved the variance; motion by Board member Reich and second by Judge Bravo.

618 Lakeshore Drive — front-yard carport addition: Staff said the request was for a 299-square-foot addition encroaching 15 feet into the required 25-foot front-yard setback in the R-1 Double-A zoning classification; one prior variance for a bedroom and bathroom had been previously approved. Owner Joseph Suterra described recent medical challenges and said a carport would improve safe access to the home. The board approved the variance; motion by Vice Chair Wright and second by Judge Bravo.

Votes at a glance

- 1003 Sheffield Court (accessory structure variance) — Approved. Motion: Judge Bravo; Second: Vice Chair Wright. (No formal tally listed in the record.) - 1531 Boyer Street (storage room / CV24-297) — Approved. Motion: Judge Bravo; Second: Vice Chair Wright. (No formal tally listed in the record.) - 831 Blue Tide Lane (ground-mounted solar) — Approved. Motion: Vice Chair Wright; Second: Judge Bravo. (No formal tally listed in the record.) - 2484 (detached carport / accessory size) — Approved. Motion: Judge Bravo; Second: Vice Chair Wright. (No formal tally listed in the record.) - 416 Village View Lane (side-yard addition) — Approved. Motion: Board member Reich; Second: Judge Bravo. (No formal tally listed in the record.) - 618 Lakeshore Drive (front-yard carport) — Approved. Motion: Vice Chair Wright; Second: Judge Bravo. (No formal tally listed in the record.)

Procedure and next steps: The chair reminded attendees that anyone aggrieved by a board decision has 15 days to appeal to the Board of County Commissioners and that staff can assist with the appeal process. For the storage-room approval (1531 Boyer Street), staff and the applicant confirmed a building permit and inspection review remain required to resolve the associated code violation.

Meeting context: Items listed as 1675 Astor Farms Place and 315 North Orange Avenue were continued to next month. A short discussion followed about scheduling a county attorney ethics presentation; the board agreed to hold that session at a future meeting when more members can attend.

Quotes from the record

"I just I just have 2 old Volkswagens that are very, very nice," said applicant Greg Butcher seeking the accessory building at 1003 Sheffield Court.

"It's just strictly for dry storage," said applicant Robert Scott about the storage room tied to code violation CV24-297.

"We have 2 grandchildren, and we want the grandchildren to be able to play outside without having any any issues about getting them into into the panels," said applicant Carlos Sierra about the ground-mounted solar array at 831 Blue Tide Lane.

"Our ARC, homeowners association approved this as well," said applicant Jennifer Clary for 416 Village View Lane.

"I had surgery twice last year in my head," said owner Joseph Suterra asking for the front-yard carport at 618 Lakeshore Drive to aid safe access.

Ending: The board handled the remaining agenda items and approved minutes before adjourning; members agreed to schedule the county attorney's planned ethics presentation at a future meeting when attendance will be higher.