A Lauderhill man was stabbed early Wednesday morning at a home where multiple unrelated people are living, raising questions about property compliance with city regulations, officials said.
Mitchell Brown was startled awake around 4 a.m. when a roommate staggered into his room bleeding.
“He put his hand on his stomach and there was blood,” Brown said.
Lauderhill police reported the victim was conscious and breathing when they transported him to Broward Health Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. The man accused of the stabbing at the NW 44th Terrace home was taken in for questioning.
Residents told CBS News Miami the incident was not isolated.
“He attacked him because he was snoring. He needed stitches police came. They didn’t want to pursue it,” said resident Janet Lewis.
Overcrowding and rental concerns
Eight unrelated people are living in the home, four of whom moved from a two-bedroom duplex run by the same owner. They pay $750 a month from Social Security checks, while Brown said he pays $1,000 for his own room.
“You can’t afford your own place you take what the system will give you,” said resident Gary Dorfman.
Neighbors said they thought the property would be a single-family home. Records show the owner is a limited partnership, MATFLO HOLDINGS, with an address listed at a Fort Lauderdale Beach pharmacy.
CBS News Miami attempted to contact the owner, who declined to answer questions.
Lauderhill officials answer our questions
Q: What does the Certificate of Use allow for this property?
“A Certificate of Use was issued to the Applicant to operate a ‘rental property’ for a single-family residence. The city’s Land Development Regulations (LDRs) defines a rental unit to mean ‘…a dwelling unit, as defined herein, which is occupied under a single rental agreement and is located in an apartment, dwelling, rooming house, rooming unit, guest house, lodging house or dormitory. Insofar as these terms are defined in this section, they shall have the meaning herein ascribed to them…’ Further, the purpose of a dwelling unit is to house a ‘family,’ which is also defined in the city’s LDRs in a couple of ways: an individual, two or more people related by blood, marriage, or legal adoption as a single household, or a group of individuals not related by blood, marriage, or adoption, but not exceeding four individuals. Therefore, if five or more unrelated people were living in this household, it wouldn’t have been approved for this use.”
Q: What is the process in Lauderhill for operating a facility of this nature?
“It is unclear what ‘facility’ was operating at this residence; however, the approved use (a rental property) would not have permitted this many unrelated people living at this location. Any person or corporation that owns a single-family house in Lauderhill, and does not personally occupy the use and instead rents it to another person, or family, would constitute a type of business, and they must obtain a rental Certificate of Use (COU). The application for the COU is on the city’s website.”
Q: Are there inspections for this type of operation?
“Yes, all residential rental units are inspected by the city for a ‘Minimum Housing Inspection’ in accordance with the city’s codes, where City Staff annually visits properties to verify that the unit is habitable for occupants.”
Q: Does this LLC have other similar operations in Lauderhill?
“The city only has one Certificate of Use for MATFLO HOLDINGS, LLC, which is the rental property for this address.”
