Cocoa Beach magistrate denies extension request for Coconut Cove Yacht Club parking lot, sets July 7 Massie hearing

On June 10, 2026, Special Magistrate Lonnie Groot denied an oral request for an extension to bring the Coconut Cove Yacht Club property into compliance and said the issue will be agendaized for a Massie hearing on July 7.

The hearing concerned case DSC25-54, in which the city says the owner failed to obtain required permits and left piles of excavated asphalt on the parcel. City representative Miss Crawford told the magistrate that the accessory structure had been removed but that the parking-lot permit applications (BP23-7 and PZ23-9) remained incomplete, final fees had not been paid and a building permit had not been issued.

“The piles of asphalt remain on the property,” Miss Crawford said, adding that under section 15-23.1 building materials may only be stored on properties with active permits. “Because it is a nuisance and also because we have explained to him countless times what compliance will look like,” the city opposed any extension, she said.

Attorney Jason Gordon, representing the property owner, said his client had been actively trying to comply but had faced a string of obstacles: an engineer recently left the project, a paving contractor refused to return to fix the work, and a tenant had at times blocked access. Gordon said his client had exchanged more than 150 emails with city staff and was pursuing insurance or contractor remedies. He asked the magistrate for a 60- to 90-day extension to complete work and reuse the excavated asphalt, estimating removal would cost about $16,000.

Magistrate Groot probed whether the permit applications were “accepted” or merely “insufficient” and solicited clarification from the building official and the city. The building official and Miss Crawford said the applications had been submitted and were in review but were not perfected for issuance because required engineering information and final fees were missing.

After hearing the arguments, the magistrate said he would deny the extension at this time but would place the matter on the July 7 Massie hearing for further consideration. “I’m going to deny the request for extension,” he said, and noted that formal fines could not be imposed immediately under the procedural timeline; the earliest fines would likely be assessed around July 8 if noncompliance remained.

The parties agreed they would re-notice and carry the extension request to the July 7 Massie hearing so an engineer or additional evidence could be presented and the city could re-evaluate whether to consent to a longer timeline. No new enforcement fines were issued at the June 10 proceeding.

Background: The special magistrate earlier found violations and ordered permits for an accessory structure and for the parking lot; the accessory structure was removed within the original 30‑day period. City records presented at the hearing show notices and mailings in February 2026 (orders mailed Feb. 18, certified receipt Feb. 23) and subsequent inspections in May 2026 that found remaining asphalt debris.

The hearing is scheduled to return to the Massie calendar on July 7, when the magistrate and the city will again consider whether the property has achieved compliance or whether formal enforcement steps should proceed.