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Tampa hearing weighs evidence over a 70‑year‑old duplex at 4312 West Laurel Street
Summary
A City of Tampa hearing officer heard arguments Dec. 5 over whether a duplex at 4312 West Laurel Street is a lawful nonconforming use; city staff said no 1962 permit was found, while the property owner’s counsel urged the officer to credit Citus/Situs records, Polk directory listings and equitable‑estoppel case law. The officer requested proposed orders by Dec. 17.
A City of Tampa hearing officer on Dec. 5 considered whether a two‑unit structure at 4312 West Laurel Street should be recognized as a lawful nonconforming duplex, a status that would allow the use to continue despite zoning changes.
City zoning staff told the hearing they found no building permit showing the structure was authorized as a duplex when it was constructed. “It comes down to the property appraiser says it was built in 1962, and the zoning went into effect for the R‑1 zoning in 1956,” zoning administrator Aaron (Eric) Cotton told the hearing, summarizing staff’s position that the structure post‑dates the zoning change that prohibited duplexes.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mark Bentley, said the absence of an original permit should not be dispositive because older city records have been purged. Bentley urged…
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