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Board chair's Aztec development remarks prompt city‑attorney caution at Margate meeting
Summary
Chair Joseph Eppi raised a long, contentious account about zoning and a 2011 ordinance affecting an Aztec community development, prompting the city attorney to caution against airing personal agenda items in a public board meeting; staff said some issues fall under county or property appraiser jurisdiction.
Near the end of the April 7 meeting, Chair Joseph Eppi and other board members engaged in an extended, heated discussion about an unrelated zoning and homeowners association matter in the Aztec community that the chair said involved 645 properties and an ordinance passed in 2011.
Eppi described the history of the development and criticized what he said were failures in turnover and enforcement. The chair said the ordinance "struck no habitable structure" and recounted a sequence of events involving county permits and communications from HOA counsel. The city attorney interrupted and cautioned the chair that "your membership on this board is a public service and not for purposes of any special private gain" and requested that personal agenda items not be pursued during the public meeting.
Other board members and staff pushed back on the appropriate forum and jurisdiction for the complaints. Development Services Director Liz Teschro asked that staff and the board avoid introducing personal agenda items that were not publicly noticed. One board member said questions about unpaid taxes and certificate‑of‑occupancy enforcement are matters for the property appraiser and Broward County rather than the planning and zoning board.
No formal action was taken on the Aztec issue during the meeting; the city attorney advised that if the matter is to be pursued it must be handled through proper public notice and the correct administrative channels. The board then moved to adjourn.
