Loxahatchee Groves committee to rewrite nuisance‑abatement rules after concerns over scope

The Town of Loxahatchee Groves committee began a review of the town's nuisance‑abatement ordinance, saying the current language is too broad for a rural community and could be misapplied to routine homeowner activities.

A committee member said the document "was originally written, it's missing some pretty important concepts" and urged the group to step back and define what the ordinance is intended to accomplish before making line‑by‑line edits. Karen Gardner Young, the town's community standards director, explained the operational difference between a code case and a nuisance abatement: code violations typically carry a notice and a chance to correct, while nuisance abatement is an "extreme" remedy that can authorize the town to enter private property. Gardner Young told the committee: "So nuisance abatements are generally not used unless it is an extreme situation" and noted that the nuisance process "requires 20 days notice." She also said ordinances can take "about 3 months" to be placed into code after adoption.

Committee members cited local examples — raw sewage from campers, multiple RVs without hookups, accumulations of manure, and neglected pools — as situations that can pose imminent public‑health risks and require an accelerated remedy. Several members insisted the ordinance must preserve due process and not give staff unchecked authority to enter occupied private property; they suggested limiting nuisance abatement to a short, well‑defined list of circumstances (abandoned, imminently dangerous structures, waste or sewage discharges, severe debris creating health hazards) and relying on other agencies (county health, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, sheriff) for matters outside the town's technical expertise.

The committee agreed to ask staff to gather samples of nuisance‑abatement language from communities with similar rural character and to return with draft options. Gardner Young said she would compile examples and provide updated diagrams and language for the committee to consider. The committee also noted it is on a council moratorium for enforcement at present and will revisit proposed language at a future meeting.

At the meeting the committee approved earlier meeting minutes by voice vote. The review of the nuisance‑abatement ordinance will continue after staff research and interagency coordination are completed.