A vote on changes to a city lien reduction program aimed at helping property and business owners was abruptly halted Tuesday when two Lauderdale Lakes city commissioners walked out of the meeting, leaving the commission without a quorum.
Proposed reforms spark tension on the dais
Vice Mayor Tycie Causwell and Commissioner Easton Harrison exited the meeting after raising concerns about the fairness and effectiveness of the proposed changes.
Their departure stopped the commission from voting on the plan, which some property owners had hoped would bring long-awaited relief from steep code enforcement fines.
“(Businesses applying) have to stay in compliance for six months before they can get into the program and by then said program won’t be around,” Harrison said during the meeting, calling the proposed revisions “ridiculous” and “unfair.”
Causwell also said more information was needed before she could support the measure.
Property owners say delays, fines are crushing
Josh Levy, Chief Operating Officer of Levy Realty Advisors, described the failed vote as a win for struggling owners.
“The forces who want to punish property owners were about to win,” Levy said. “When the commission lost quorum, it was like breathing fresh air for the first time.”
Levy’s company is facing a $740,000 lien on a business park after a tenant remodeled without proper permits. According to city records, it took inspectors more than 1,000 days to verify that the violation had been resolved.
In May, Levy and his father told CBS News Miami Investigates that they spent thousands correcting the issue—yet fines continued to accrue during the city’s delay.
Kenneth and Mildred Bordeaux, who own a duplex rental property, say they face more than $300,000 in liens for relatively minor code violations like cracked outlet covers and broken window handles. The property is occupied, but they cannot sell it due to the liens.
“This has been our income other than my social security,” Kenneth Bordeaux said. “We couldn’t live off my social security.”
His wife added, “I can’t really say (where this leaves us). It’s so disheartening. This is something that we’ve had for years.”
Their attorney, Ari Pregen, criticized the city’s legal structure. “It’s almost as if the city attorney is the judge, the jury and the executioner,” he said, adding that City Attorney Sidney Calloway controls the fate of their case.
Calloway, however, told CBS News Miami the decision ultimately lies with the city commission.
Next vote delayed until September
With no quorum, commissioners were unable to approve or amend the proposed program changes. City staff said the next opportunity to reconsider the issue will be in September.
