A citywide cleanup in one Palm Beach County area has divided a community. An effort is underway in Boynton Beach, FL, that includes updated parking rules and stricter code enforcement, including potential fines.
However, some residents have criticized the stricter standards, saying the rules make it feel as though they’re living under an HOA (homeowners association)—and they’re not happy about it.
In a bid to spruce up the city, last week Boynton Beach officials announced revisions to current regulations covering such things as grass length and property upkeep requirements.
For instance, grass must remain below 9 inches, exterior surfaces can show no more than 20% discoloration, and no outdoor storage in carports can be visible.
Residents can be fined if they don’t comply. Realtor.com® reached out to city representatives to verify the amount of potential fines, but they did not respond.
Boynton Beach resident Michael Super told WPTV he has been hit with 10 fines from code enforcement over the last two years for issues with his fence, yard, and items on his house, which is not part of an HOA.
“They’ve cracked down a lot on the code and not in a good way,” Super said. “More like here’s a fine, here’s a fine, here’s a fine, and I don’t really see any benefit to it.”
The city of Boynton Beach recently posted the full list of code updates on Facebook.
Ralph Risco wrote, “Since when [did] the city of Boynton Beach became an HOA?” While Sean Ellington called the new updates “an attack on personal freedom.”
But resident Maura Hopkins wrote, “If you are a homeowner in Boynton Beach, you should be celebrating that the codes are finally being followed. Homeowners should understand the importance of property values. Keeping curbside appeal and the city safe are basics! If you own, it affects the value of your home, city funding, operations, and new business. Get educated!”
New parking rules get mixed reviews
Meanwhile, as of Feb. 1, new parking rules limit vehicles to driveways or to horizontal parking at the end of driveways, provided sidewalks remain clear. Long-term street or yard parking will be banned, along with oversized trucks such as 18-wheelers and inoperable vehicles with flat tires, broken windows or missing license plates.
Temporary parking in yards is permitted only for parties or other social events at residences, provided the parking doesn’t exceed 12 hours in a 24-hour period.
Drivers who violate the ordinance will be fined $25 per illegally parked vehicle, with the penalty increasing to $32 if it is not paid within 10 days.
The ordinance states its purpose is to improve the quality of life for residents, but not everyone agrees.
Resident Logan Poirier told WPTV these city codes are costing him tens of thousands of dollars in modifications to his property.
“We had to expand our driveway because the city told us to,” Poirier said. “We purposefully bought in this neighborhood because the city wasn’t going to do a bunch of things, there was no HOA. And now it’s turning into something that seems way more than necessary, as far as restrictions go.”
Resident Cristina Super agreed, telling WPTV, “We literally can’t park our cars anywhere except for our yards and if you don’t have a driveway, you’re screwed. We’re not in an HOA, so stop being bullies.”
Yet resident Kevin Sanchez, who supports the parking changes, told WPTV, “I’m actually in favor of it, because I believe it does bring property values up.”
The median listing price in Boynton Beach is $350,000.
City officials say enforcement will be fair
Boynton Beach city officials say their focus is on addressing chronic code violators, as the city steps up enforcement efforts.
“We’re out there targeting some major offenders that we’ve received complaints on for years and years and years, people abusing the city and their neighbors, that’s primarily who we’re going for, we’re not going after the average citizen,” John Bonafair, director of the public safety department for Boynton Beach, told WPTV.
Boynton Beach district commissioner Thomas Turkin told WPTV that while he prefers taking an “educational approach” before issuing citations, enforcement decisions will ultimately rest with code enforcement and the city manager’s office.
“I’m pretty confident that code enforcement will be reasonable, subjective, and work with a lot of these homeowners in a different fashion than HOAs will,” he said.