Hearing officer hears four residential variance requests; several agenda items continued

The Hillsborough County land use hearing officer on Feb. 24 took testimony on four variance requests affecting residential properties and recorded continuances for several out‑of‑order agenda items. The officer said she will file written decisions within 15 business days.

The cases heard included: a rear‑yard setback reduction for Rosendo Fernandez (variance 25‑01‑7171) to allow a 22‑foot rear yard where 25 feet is required; a front‑yard accessory‑structure variance for Crystal Schaeffer and Justin Volz (variance 25‑02‑402) seeking to place a storage shed six feet from the front lot line on a flag lot; a one‑foot rear‑yard variance for a paired townhome product by William Ryan Holmes, Florida, Inc. (variance 25‑02‑273) to reduce a 20‑foot rear setback to 19 feet; and a front‑yard projection variance for Modern House and Building Movers, Inc., to permit stairway projection tied to elevating a flood‑damaged home (variance 25‑03‑352).

Why the cases matter: the variances affect allowable building envelopes and, in one instance, permit flood mitigation work that property owners say is necessary after hurricane damage.

Details of the cases and public record: - Rosendo Fernandez (applicant): Development Services staff (Tanya Chapela) described a requested 3‑foot reduction to permit an addition to the rear of an existing home in PD‑83082; Fernandez testified the rear of the lot abuts property owned by the Florida Department of Transportation and called the rear a conservation/buffer area. No proponents or opponents spoke. The hearing was closed for this variance and the applicant was reminded to sign in with the clerk’s office.

- Crystal Schaeffer and Justin Volz (4120 Swindell Road, Plant City): Staff (James Baker) said the request seeks a 44‑foot variance to permit a six‑foot front‑yard setback for an accessory structure on a flag lot where the AS‑1 district requires a 50‑foot minimum; applicants testified wetlands and site configuration make the proposed location necessary. No opponents spoke. The applicants submitted neighbor support letters and thanked staff for assistance.

- William Ryan Holmes, Florida, Inc. (paired villa product): Staff (Jared Follin) described a 1‑foot variance to reduce a 20‑foot rear setback to 19 feet to accommodate a lanai that became part of the principal structure; the applicant (Todd Amadin, Landmark Engineering) said the total encroachment area is 1.3 square feet and the adjacent property is a golf course. No public opposition was recorded.

- Modern House and Building Movers, Inc. (flood‑elevation stairway): Staff (Michelle Montalbano) described a request tied to lifting a damaged home to an elevation above base flood elevation; the stairway projection would result in a 15.3‑foot front setback where 25 feet is normally required, a requested variance of 6.7 feet. The project's contractor (Alonzo Lawn) and homeowner (Chris Caruso) described repeated flooding and the need to raise the house to provide parking and storage beneath. No public opposition was recorded.

Procedural notes and continuances: the hearing opened with the hearing officer (Susan Finch) and county attorney counsel (Mary Dorman) explaining that decisions will be filed in writing and that appeals are limited to the record created at the hearing. Earlier on the agenda several items were continued and recorded as such (items A1–A7 were continued to dates in March or August 2025 as announced on the record).

Outcome and next steps: the hearing officer closed the public hearings on these variance requests on Feb. 24 but did not issue final rulings at the meeting. She stated she will file written decisions within 15 business days; those decisions, and any appeals, will rely on the record created at this hearing.