Receiver given months to seek temporary permit for Gulf Boulevard parking lot; city orders cessation until permit obtained

A vacant parcel tied to the Grand Plaza/Bellwether hotel was ordered to come into compliance with landscaping and sign requirements and to stop operating as a commercial parking lot until the property secures the necessary temporary‑use approval, Special Magistrate Erica Augello ruled May 11.

City witnesses presented photographs of broken fences, damaged walls, oversized parking signage and insufficient buffer plantings along Gulf Boulevard; code staff recommended daily fines if noncompliant. Receiver counsel Kevin Riali told the magistrate the parcel and the hotel are in receivership after hurricane damage, that structural evaluations remain ongoing and that the receiver has already applied for a temporary‑use permit and will work with city planners.

Riali asked for staggered deadlines — 30 days to address landscaping and buffer requirements and 90 days to resolve the temporary‑use permit process so the parcel can be used lawfully for parking while the hotel’s long‑term status is decided. The city asked the magistrate to require the property be maintained and to cease commercial parking until a permit is granted.

Augello found violations of the city code for buffer requirements (22.8) and on‑site parking signage (26.13), declined to determine fines at the present hearing, and issued an administrative order allowing 30 days for landscape buffering and 90 days for the temporary‑use permit. The magistrate also ordered that the parcel not be used for commercial parking until approvals are finalized and scheduled a September 14 status conference to review compliance.

The magistrate noted the receivership and hurricane recovery add complexity but emphasized the need to protect adjacent neighborhoods and comply with sign and buffer standards. The city will return on Sept. 14 to determine whether fines or additional remedies are appropriate if deadlines are missed.