Nov 4th Code Compliance Hearing on El Tropicale

Your voice mattered!! By being an organized neighborhood, we made a difference!!

On Nov 4th the City brought the owners of El Tropicale before a magistrate on two code violations: (1) their practice of renting for less than 7 days, and (2) for the inappropriate mural which is considered an oversized commercial sign.

The LPNA attended the hearing and discussed our position with the city’s attorney and code compliance manager.

During the hearing, the owners did admit that they were renting for less than 7 days prior to June, but then started (and are still) in compliance now (7 day minimum).

The owners also agreed to work with city staff to modify the mural in accordance with city ordinances.

Since the main objective of the city was compliance rather than monetary compensation, all parties agreed that no fines would be levied at this time, however El Tropicale will be monitored for a 60 day period and the case will be brought back to the magistrate on Jan 13th 2022 to confirm they remain in compliance.

During the hearing, the city did present the petition signed by the neighborhood as well as a letter from the LPNA board supporting the city’s position. The magistrate was impressed by the approximate 90 signatures on the petition which reinforced that it was a significant neighborhood issue (in addition to a code violation).

The LPNA is in discussion with city staff on how best to continue monitoring the property beyond Jan 2022 to safeguard that the 7 day minimum is maintained.

If you would like to see a video of the hearing, click here.

Legal nuances: For those wondering why the city couldn’t do more than requiring a 7 day minimum, it comes down to a Florida law, Fla. Stat. § 509.032(7) (2011), that stipulates that only ordinances prior to 2011 can restrict “vacation rentals”. The city had a 7 day requirement prior to the statue, however, many of our surrounding municipalities didn’t and don’t even have that protection.