Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/147897
Sarasota News Leader August 2, 2013 OPINION Page 78 Apparently, the curwith only one point of rent dwelling reexit in the event of an Despite the convenience and obvious emergency. placed an older home sometime after 2010. conviviality that can result from assembling Because of federal a party of dozens of friends or family under No required building regulations for new one roof, the risks of cramming so many permits had been obconstruction in a flood people into a single space outweighs those tained for the construction work, so the zone, the house had benefits. county had no way of to be built on pilings to raise it above the knowing if the work expected surge level for a 100-year storm. had been done by unlicensed contractors, anGround-level areas must have walls made of other potential violation. a breakaway material as well as flow-through In November 2012, Code Enforcement Offipanels that allow high water to pass in and out cer John Lally issued a Notice of Violation/ without damaging the support structure of the Notice to Obtain Permits, which was served dwelling. In addition, no use of the ground level is allowed other than as a garage or storage on The Daniels Law Firm of Sarasota, the regfacility. No occupiable space is permitted on istered agent of Siesta Resorts LLC, the company county records showed to be the owner that level. of the property. The house in question came to the attention of county Code Enforcement officials when During subsequent hearings before a Sarasota a renter from out of state found the proper- County Special Magistrate, no one from The ty too dangerous for her family members to Daniels Law Firm or Siesta Resorts appeared occupy upon their arrival in November 2012. to answer the charges. Several orders were Once she had arranged alternative lodging for then entered by the special magistrate, with them, she notified Code Enforcement and fire timelines for bringing the property into comofficials and gave them access to the property. pliance with local, state and federal regulations, and threatening fines if compliance was Those officials found the entire ground lev- not forthcoming. el enclosed with solid masonry walls, with the required flow-through vents bricked over. However, by May of this year, no word had There were no windows at all on the first lev- been heard from either the Daniels firm or Siel, and only one door to the outside — at the esta Resorts, so the magistrate began entering far end of the house. The complete down- orders levying fines that would continue until stairs area was divided into bedrooms and a the appropriate corrections to the property bathroom. About half of the claimed 40 occu- were made. As of the end of July, those fines pants would be billeted in a bricked enclosure had exceeded $26,000.