Special magistrate orders Cooper City property owner to seek zoning approval, permits for tiny house or remove it by June 1

Angel Petty Rosenberg, Special Magistrate for the City of Cooper City, ordered the owner of 10701 Southwest 50th Street to apply for permits and obtain zoning approval by June 1, 2025, or remove an unpermitted tiny house and attached wood deck, patio roof and utilities.

Rosenberg set a compliance deadline of June 1, 2025, and said a $250-per-day fine would begin to accrue if the work was not completed by that date. She also certified an administrative fee of $150 to cover prosecution costs, due May 2, 2025. The magistrate scheduled a status update for May 7, 2025, so the owner could report progress and, if needed, request more time.

The violation cited the Broward County amendments to the 2023 Florida Building Code (8th Edition), effective Dec. 31, 2023, including FBC sections 105.1 (permits required) and 110.1 (inspections), and Cooper City code provisions adopting that code. The city's staff said the structure — described in hearing documents as a container with added deck and utilities — was discovered after it was posted as a short-term rental.

“My name is Mayor Shumthov. I co-own the property with my wife,” the property owner told the magistrate at the podium. He said the structure began as a detached container and that utilities were run from the main residence by hose and an extension cord; he said they later added a deck and intended to make the unit compliant.

Mark Young, Chief Structural Inspector for the City of Cooper City, told the hearing no permits had been applied for and that the case came to staff attention through software that detects short-term-rental postings. Carlos Vega, Community Development Director, said aerial images suggested the container may be within setbacks for the zoning district and that staff needed to perform a site visit to confirm whether the structure could remain as placed.

Rosenberg said staff and the owner should meet so inspectors could view the property, determine whether the structure could be permitted where it stands, and identify specific permits and engineering requirements if the structure could be retained. She clarified that the 60-day compliance order requires either starting the permitting process and obtaining zoning approval or demolishing and removing the structure by June 1, 2025.

The magistrate explained that if demolition is required, the owner must obtain any demolition permits and complete removal within the compliance period, and that if the owner intends to pursue zoning approval or permits but needs more time, he should report the status at the May 7 hearing and may request an extension then.

Rosenberg also warned that if the structure is permitted to remain as a living unit and used as a short-term rental, the owner must meet the city's short-term rental registration requirements.

The order — apply for permits and obtain zoning approval by June 1, 2025; pay a $150 administrative fee by May 2, 2025; and face a $250-per-day fine after June 1 if not complied with — was read into the record and confirmed with the respondent.