Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ocala board finds after-the-fact pool and gazebo alterations not appropriate; building permits, surveys needed
Summary
The board found an above-ground pool, surrounding deck and a pop-up gazebo at 514 Southeast Sanchez Avenue "not appropriate" under COA criteria because staff lacked verified dimensions and a survey; a city code enforcement case is open and the owner was told she must obtain permits and may need variances.
The Ocala Historic Preservation Advisory Board voted to adopt staff’s finding that after-the-fact alterations at 514 Southeast Sanchez Avenue — specifically an above-ground metal pool with a surrounding wooden deck and a metal gazebo — are not appropriate under the city’s Certificate of Appropriateness criteria.
City staff told the board the property is a contributing structure built in 1929 and that the pool and gazebo were installed without building permits or a COA. Staff reported a current code enforcement case opened March 1, 2025, in response to unpermitted alterations. Staff recommended denial of appropriateness because the department lacked a certified survey and could not verify the applicant’s measurements for setback distances and dimensions. "Because the lack of certainty that we have with the design, the dimensions of the alterations, how far it is from the actual property line, we were not able to answer those questions to determine whether it will be appropriate or not," Bria said.
Staff said the pool was reported as 2 feet from the side property line and the deck 5 feet, but staff could not confirm those figures; the gazebo was cited as requiring a building permit based on its dimensions. Bria also noted the gazebo was first placed between 2018 and 2019 without the required approvals, and later storm damage led the owner to replace the fabric cover.
Property owner and applicant Kim Gibbous (who said she lives at 514 Southeast Sanchez Avenue and holds power of attorney for an adjacent parcel) told the board the gazebo is a movable metal-frame structure with a canvas top — similar to consumer retail products — and that she did not believe the items were permanent. "It's not really a built structure," public commenter Kelly Hamer, who said she lives at 506 Southeast Sanchez Avenue and is Gibbous’s sister, told the board. "You could go to Lowe's, Home Depot or Sam's and buy the exact same thing."
Board members discussed the architecture and whether the gazebo matched the house. One member said the gazebo did not match the home and another suggested tabling the item until the applicant provided engineered plans or a survey. The applicant said she had started a variance application but had not paid the fee.
A board member moved that the board agree with staff on the "inappropriateness of the addition to the house" and to find facts consistent with sections 94-82(g)(1),(g)(4) and (g)(5). The motion, covering both the pool/deck and the gazebo, passed on a voice vote.
Next steps: the applicant may complete and pay the variance application and pursue a survey and any required building permits. Staff said that if the BOA approves variances and the applicant can secure required engineered plans, the applicant may later return for appropriateness consideration; otherwise the unpermitted structures may be subject to enforcement action.
