Code board fines developer $6,200 for unpermitted boat lift attached to seawall

The Punta Gorda Code Enforcement Board on June 19 voted unanimously to find the respondent in violation of a prior compliance order and to impose a $6,200 fine for an unpermitted boat lift attached to the seawall at 435 Lilla Court.

Code compliance officer Sheny Coons told the board the case began with a March 18, 2026 compliance order that required the owner to obtain a canal/dredging permit, detach the boat lift from the seawall and remove related framing. Reinspections through June 18 showed the required corrective actions had not been taken, Coons said, and the property had been in noncompliance for 62 days. “The corrective action ordered by the board had not been taken,” Coons said while submitting photos and a $139.79 invoice for case costs.

The city’s public works canal maintenance supervisor, Mark Storm, told the board the lift’s framing had been drilled into the seawall cap and that recent photos show a widening crack. “One of those pictures shows a pretty severe crack on the cap,” Storm said, and added staff will recheck the wall in the fall to assess whether the defect has progressed.

Board members discussed the harm the unpermitted structure could cause to the seawall and the cost to the city of any seawall repairs. The motion ordered a $6,200 fine — described by the board as $100 per day for 62 days of noncompliance — plus payment of documented case costs within 30 days and an order that additional daily fines could be imposed up to the board’s statutory maximum if the property remains out of compliance. The order instructs the city to continue charging applicable interest and allows the fine to continue to run until compliance is achieved.

The board’s written order will specify the final interest language and the method by which fines will continue to accrue until the required canal permit is obtained or the unpermitted lift and its framing are removed from the seawall. No appeal or stay was recorded at the meeting.

Next steps: the board’s order becomes effective when issued and staff will inspect for compliance; the fine and any additional penalties will remain in effect until the work is completed and required permits are approved.