Florida man fined $1M for violating previous owner’s policy – what buyers should know
Denny Dorcey of Oakland Park, Florida, can fix almost anything.
He rebuilt junkyard cars and even turned his foreclosed home, which he bought ten years ago, into a showroom. He added custom cabinets reminiscent of these interiors The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and keeps her 1970s oven running smoothly.
But a recent letter from the city of Oakland Park presented a problem he couldn’t fix.
“The letter said I owed the city over $1 million in code violation fines from before I bought the house,” Dorcey said. 7Miami News reporter Patrick Fraser.
According to Dorcey, the letter said he was liable for $1,097,400 in fines associated with four minor violations committed by the previous owner. These minor infractions — like overgrown weeds and trash in the carport — have grown over the years because of the fines that have accumulated. Now Dorcey is on the hook.
Dorcey said that when he bought the property, he used a title company that assured him that there were no fees or penalties on the property. He also said the city has not talked about fines until now.
“They were deleting our old files and they found my file and that’s when it started.” Dorcey explained.
After receiving the letter, Dorcey contacted the city, explaining that he could not afford to pay more than a million dollars in fines. The city official suggested he consult with their collection agency, but Dorcey was having none of it. Instead, he touched I helped Howard and Patrick Fraser from 7Miami News to ask: Can the city do this legally?
In accordance with 7 News legal expert Howard Finkelstein the answer is nuanced.
“Yes, they can,” he said. “There is no need for government agencies to notify the new owner of the fine in order to grow.
“But in this case, the city can’t do this to Dorcey because he bought the property as a foreclosure and removed any existing liens and fines the city had.”
Thank you, 7 News reported that the city lifted the fines after reporter Patrick Fraser spoke with city officials.
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