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Tavares council adopts permit requirement and fines for garage sales
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Summary
The Tavares City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2025-10, requiring residents to obtain a no-fee permit for garage/yard sales (limited to four per year), requiring display of the permit, and imposing escalating fines after an initial warning. Council members asked how enforcement and weekend coverage will be handled.
The Tavares City Council on Dec. 17 approved Ordinance 2025-10, which requires residents to obtain a no-fee permit before holding a garage or yard sale, limits sales to four per year per residence, requires that the permit be displayed, and establishes escalating penalties for violations.
City staff presented the ordinance and officials described the enforcement approach. "It provides us now with an opportunity ... to track the yard sales," said Chris McCormick, a city staff member involved in code enforcement, adding that staff will issue an initial warning and then monetary penalties — $150 for a second offense and $250 for subsequent violations. McCormick also said officers or inspectors can photograph noncompliant displays and issue a notice giving the property owner 21 days to remove persistent items.
Several council members pressed staff on practical enforcement, especially on weekends when most sales occur. The Vice Mayor said he was concerned about items left in front yards after sales and the effect on neighboring properties, calling it "junk remaining out there" that sometimes becomes a neighborhood nuisance. Council members asked whether permits could be applied for online; staff confirmed online filing is available and that police can check permit issuance from their vehicles.
The ordinance also clarifies how community-wide sales are handled: a single clubhouse sale at a mobile-home park would require one permit for the location, while multiple individual-home sales would each require their own permit, and the individual property owner is responsible for compliance.
Council moved, seconded and approved the ordinance on second reading; the clerk read the ordinance into the record earlier in the meeting. The ordinance provides for an effective date 30 days after adoption to allow staff time to implement the permitting process and public-notice measures.
The council did not specify staff-assignment details for weekend enforcement at the meeting; staff said they will provide follow-up procedures for how police and code personnel will coordinate to check permits and issue warnings or citations as needed.
