Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Building Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Special magistrate orders Baffy Woods to submit remaining balcony reports before June 4
Summary
Cooper City’s special magistrate told Baffy Woods leadership to deliver the remaining balcony inspection reports and warned that uncooperative residents could trigger fines; 37 of 55 reports have been turned in to date.
Special Magistrate Scott Kleinman told representatives of the Baffy Woods condominium association on May 7 that the complex must submit the remaining balcony inspection reports required by the Broward County–adopted building-safety program before the hearing scheduled for June 4.
The deadline follows an update from Mark Young, chief structural inspector for the City of Cooper City, who said the city had received 37 of the 55 required balcony reports and was still waiting on 18. Carlos Vega, the city’s community development director, and Baffy Woods’ project manager Luis Ledesma and property manager Valentin Cubano described the engineering reports as in progress; Ledesma said he expected the outstanding reports “in the next 5 to 10 working days.”
Kleinman said earlier hearings had required Baffy Woods to hold weekly coordination meetings with community development and that multiple missed hearings had prompted the city to set firmer expectations. “Going forward, if there’s a hearing and your name, Baffy Woods, is on it, I expect somebody to be here,” Kleinman said, warning that he would “use the full power of my authority as magistrate” if the association failed to appear again.
Young told the magistrate that once the final inspection reports are submitted and accepted, the association will receive clearance to complete painting and other punch-list maintenance. Kleinman told the association to notify residents that contractors and engineers must be permitted access for inspections; he said the city had seen compliance improve after the HOA notified individual unit owners.
The magistrate set a status hearing for June 4 at 9:45 a.m. and instructed the association to ensure all outstanding reports are filed before that date. Kleinman said he would consider fines if required reports were not submitted on time, and he urged the HOA to arrange windows of availability for inspections to minimize disruption to residents.
The exchange focused on process and schedule; no new fines were levied at the May 7 hearing, but magistrate instructions carry the force of an enforceable order.
