THE
GAZETTE VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 25, 2021
Wilton Manors & Oakland Park FACEBOOK.COM/GROUPS/WMGAZETTE COMMUNITY
WILTON MANORS
Wilton Manors Code Rewrite Workshop Covers Pot, Dog Bites, Distance, and More By John McDonald Marijuana, dangerous dogs, massage alcoholic beverages must be located 1,000 feet parlors, vacation rentals, swales, bicycles and away from a church or school. Caputo also floated decriminalizing many more subjects were discussed at the marijuana. Assistant Police Chief Gary Blocker latest Wilton Manors code workshop. For more than three hours on a Thursday pushed back on that suggestion, stating evening, commissioners and officials discussed marijuana is illegal on the state and federal rewording the city code. As it stands currently, level. Currently, people caught with 20 grams the code is more than 450 pages and has yet to or less of marijuana are issued a civil citation. “I do believe it is still pass first reading at a commission beneficial to keep this on the meeting. books,” Blocker said. There are 21 chapters to the city Some of the Commissioner Mike code. Those chapters are general Bracchi asked to see data provisions, administration, highlights of from the city’s civil citation alcoholic beverages, animals, the workshop program. Blocker said buildings and building regulations, residents with medical emergency management, fire included marijuana prescriptions can alarm systems, fire prevention and Commissioner have citations voided. protection, impact fees, licensesElsewhere, commissioners permits and business regulations, Chris Caputo recommended scrapping the miscellaneous offenses, questioning city’s $2 bicycle registration nuisances, personnel, planning fee, removing a two-gender and development, police, solid distance bathroom requirement for waste, streets, sidewalks and other requirements massage parlors and getting public places, taxation, traffic rid of a sworn affidavit and vehicles, utilities and noise between churches requirement for noise control. and bars. complaints. Some of the highlights of the Ducks, coyotes and foxes workshop included Commissioner were added to the list of Chris Caputo questioning distance wild animals that are prohibited to feed. City requirements between churches and bars. “We have to be careful flipping these Attorney Kerry Ezrol noted dogs are all equal around,” said Commissioner Gary Resnick. under the law. “You can’t regulate dogs based on breed,” “Our local authority is preempted by state Ezrol said. “One bite and the dog is declared statutes.” Roberta Moore, Community Development a dangerous dog.” Mayor Scott Newton expressed a desire to Services director, said any business selling
Commissioner Paul Rolli. Credit: Carina Mask.
shorten the length of time the city allows for water accounts to be disconnected. Presently, the city allows a three-month period before shutting off delinquent accounts. Newton also pushed for charges on those who steal water from the city. City Manager Leigh Ann Henderson said Wilton Manors is in the process of identifying vacation rentals that advertise regularly and have those come in for compliance. Caputo admitted he operates an Airbnb and questioned the length of time an owner had to reside on property to
www.WMGAZETTE.com
be considered homesteaded. Vice Mayor Paul Rolli noted snowbirds like to migrate every six months from their homes up north. Rolli also proposed not allowing concrete or asphalt swales in the future for environmental reasons. “Permeable surfaces return water to the ground,” Rolli said. “Many older homes have paved or asphalt swales and they add to flooding of the streets.” Much of the code discussion is likely to continue at Tuesday evening’s regularly scheduled commission meeting.
2 . 25. 20 21 •
17