Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Wellington magistrate orders repairs, permits and fines after May 21 code‑enforcement hearing
Summary
The Village of Wellington special magistrate found several properties in violation of local codes May 21, ordering repairs, permit actions and fines; notable disputes included a roof‑work permit case, an HOA tree‑removal disagreement and a resident challenging hedge/fence screening requirements.
The Village of Wellington special magistrate on May 21 ordered multiple property owners to fix code violations, apply for permits or face fines after a full docket of neighborhood‑improvement and fine‑certification cases.
Shanae Duffy, a Village code compliance officer, presented photos and inspection notes in the first case involving 756 Lemongrass Lane and respondents Leonard and Stephanie Stone. Duffy told the magistrate that the inspection found a missing front hedge, an unscreened air‑conditioning unit and stained walls. Respondent Leonard Stone said much of the work cited was not visible from the street and asked for an exemption. "That's not the front of the house," Stone said, arguing the issues were minor. Special Magistrate Larry Cortez replied there is no administrative exemption and ordered the Stones to correct violations by June 18, 2026, or face fines not to exceed $25 per day; the magistrate also assessed $12.22 in costs and entered a five‑year cease‑and‑desist order.
A contested association case at Scribner Village focused on hat‑racked and missing street trees. Village staff recommended removal and replacement of several trees; the association's attorney disputed some of those calls and asked for more time to compel homeowners to comply. An arborist witness described hat‑racking as severe pruning that can remove 50% or more of canopy and create structurally weak regrowth. The magistrate agreed to a compromise timeline, extending the compliance deadline to July 16, 2026, and asked the association to submit its homeowner‑notice letters and coordinate an independent arborist inspection for disputed trees.
One of the more technical contests involved roofing work at 678 Via Toscana. Respondent Cohen Saban said the work was a "minor repair" and produced receipts and a neighbor statement he said supported that claim. William Wyatt, the Village chief building inspector, testified that drone photos and site images showed a new roof covering had been installed over the existing cover — a "recover" — and said that under the Florida existing building code recoveries are not permitted because they can conceal compromised substrate. "I evaluated that I could verify that a new roof covering was installed over top of an existing roof covering," Wyatt said. The magistrate found a violation, ordered Cohen Saban to apply for the appropriate building permit within 30 days (by June 18, 2026) and assessed $15.21 in administrative costs; fines of up to $50 per day were noted as the daily penalty if the work is not legally resolved.
Several fine‑certification matters also produced penalties: the magistrate imposed daily fines (typically $25 and, in some permit cases, $50) and costs for owners who did not meet prior correction deadlines. One case was held open or stayed where staff reported a pending bankruptcy filing affecting enforcement. In another matter, deputy and community‑policing staff assisted an elderly resident with cleanup efforts; the magistrate acknowledged that community services involvement and still imposed a $25‑per‑day fine that will continue until the violation is corrected.
The hearing closed after the magistrate entered orders setting compliance dates, cost assessments and future fine‑certification hearings where necessary. Most corrective deadlines are June 18, 2026, or July 16, 2026, depending on the order. The Village will schedule fine‑certification hearings if respondents do not contact code staff and achieve compliance by the deadlines.
What happens next: code staff will perform follow‑up inspections on or after the deadlines and trigger fine‑certification hearings for any outstanding violations; several respondents were told to present permits, independent arborist reports or proof of corrective work to Village staff to avoid fines.
(Reporting note: all quotes and details are drawn from the Village of Wellington special magistrate hearing transcript for May 21, 2026; legal citations referenced in the hearing were Wellington Land Development Regulations and Wellington Code sections as stated by staff.)
