Event producer Corey Haymon fined $15,000 after teen bitten at Delray Beach Cocoa Market

A Delray Beach special magistrate on March 19, 2026, found Coco Yogi, Inc. — the producer of the Cocoa Market — in violation of city code for authorizing animals at a special event without the required animal permit and assessed the maximum fine of $15,000.

The city presented evidence that on Feb. 8, 2026, during the Cocoa Market at Old School Square, a vendor identified as H3 Dog Rescue displayed multiple dogs at the event despite the event application and revocable license agreement showing no animal waiver had been approved. Connor Lee, a Clean and Safe officer for the city, identified Coco Yogi, Inc. as the event producer and said the application did not include the temporary-use permit required for animals. City exhibits entered into evidence included the special-event application, the revocable license agreement and affidavits showing notice and posting.

Officer Nicholas Windsor, Delray Beach Police Department, described arriving at the scene after dispatch for a child bitten in the face. "When I arrived on scene there was a 16‑year‑old female juvenile being loaded into an ambulance," Windsor testified. He said the child had a severe laceration that a plastic surgeon on duty said would likely result in permanent scarring and required further medical treatment.

The city's case emphasized that the event application did not check the 'animals' box and that any temporary permit for animals must be approved by the director of parks and recreation. Alli Beerman, the city's special events manager, said a producer must list vendors and provide certificates of insurance and that the parks director must sign off on animal waivers.

Greg Maloon, counsel for Coco Yogi, argued the event was permitted under the city's special-event policy and that the owner of the dog — not Coco Yogi — would be liable under Florida Statute 767.04. Maloon said the revocable license agreement between the city and Coco Yogi provided contractual remedies already applied by the city, and that irreparable-injury standards relied on by the city were not appropriate for a one‑day event and civil remedies at law exist for personal-injury claims.

The magistrate rejected the defense's argument that the matter belonged only in civil court and found the evidence supported violations of city code sections 101.27 (animals in parks) and 101.32 (special-event permits). The magistrate said she "find[s] the violation is irreparable and irreversible in nature" and assessed the largest fine of $15,000, ordering the determination entered into the case file.

The magistrate's order is administrative; separate civil claims for damages — including any claim tied to the child's injuries — were discussed in testimony as matters for civil courts and were not adjudicated at the hearing. The magistrate's finding focused on permit compliance and code violations.

What happens next: the magistrate's order will be entered into the case box and the administrative fine becomes enforceable under the city's collection procedures; any separate civil litigation over damages would proceed in the appropriate civil forum.