[lgiamette]

Is it possible to live aboard on a canal if I purchased a canal front lot? Do I need to go through ROGO for building dock infrastructure? I’ve been trying to find answers and getting mixed info. I’ll take a link to the correct code to review if anyone has it. We want to build eventually, but while waiting on the process is it still possible to live on the lot? Thanks so much!

[City Guy997S]

My guess: you won't be able to get water/electric turned on to an "empty lot"

Start with the local utilities, I'd bet you get a a no/no from them.

[Corrie22]

no, you'll have to check with building and zoning, most are ROGO now, but a few still aren't, you'll know by the price too

start here > https://www.monroecounty-fl.gov/Directory.aspx?DID=6

email Erika Nodal in Big Pine

[bigh110]

I would call or email this lady she runs code compliance and if its illegal she will know. CynthiaMcPherson,Senior Director code compliance Email: CyMcpherson-Cynthia@monroecounty-fl.gov 305-289-2508.. I live year round on big pine key. I know it is illegal to live in an RV on your lot in big pine key canal front subdivisions of eden pines and port pine heights. i would suspect that all of island is that way too. if you have a lot or live in a home you can store your rv or boat on the lot but you cannot live in it. guaranteed one of your neighbors will call the county and you will get harassed by code compliance. Big pine Key is also a tier 3 environmentally sensitive area due to the federally protected key deer. a good portion of the island part of the national key deer refugee. this means it is very hard to get a permit to build on this island. it will take you 5 to 8 years to get a permit to build unless you buy a few lots and donate them to the county. Monroe County is also running out of building permits and when it does you wont be able to build unless a home or permit already exists on that lot. The county will be facing massive lawsuits when that eventually happens. big pine is an unincorporated area of the keys. Unlike a city like marathon or key west with their own rules and regulations. When you do something that is not allowed aka against code they will give you 90 days or so to correct the violation and then start giving fines on a daily basis. minimum fine is $100 daily. it will build up and they can foreclose on your property( if its not homesteaded) if it gets large enough or when you sell they will get the money at settlement. usually they will settle for about one third of the cumulative fines. my former neighbor had to pay $27,500 to the county when he sold in 2010. My canal is 45 feet wide i cannot have any boat more 10 feet off the sea wall to allow for other boats passing one another. Watch out for bridges too as i have to go under one with a 10 ft clearance at mean high tide. did you ever consider a mooring ball (about $500) or a slip at the city marina at boot key harbor in marathon? its one of the cheapest ways to live in the keys but you must actually live on the boat or they will terminate your lease. you also need to know that if you buy a lot with a existing permit to build but say the home was demolished. 24 months go by you will lose your right to build on that lot. you need submit a survey of you land and submit a application to build or plans to build a home every 2 years to keep the lot buildable. if not you will be hiring a lawyer to get your right build on your own lot back. if you really want to build here my suggestion is to buy a buildable lot with an already intact seawall and a demo home on the lot. also keep in mind if you need to build a concrete seawall those plans will need to be approved by the army core of engineers. they can deny your right to put in a concrete sea wall. they you will have to go with a wooden dock with concrete piers. unless you are going to be an owner builder and act as the general hiring subs you will be paying between somewhere in the range of $400 to $500 a sq. foot for a modular home even more if you want a CBS structure. $400,000 for a builders grade 1000 sg ft. home not to be a downer but i have owned a home on big pine for 12 years they have a myriad of rules and regulations. some with loopholes and some without. to be able to renovate or build. also know about the 50% rule if you buy a fixer upper and the value of you renovations over a 3 year period exceed 50% of 120% of the 2017 taxable value of that home and additional structures not the lot value. you will have to forgo the renovation or tear down and start from scratch!!!! lets not even get into the AFTER THE FACT permit fees! Even if you read the MUNI code and you think you can do it i would double check with the county anyway.

Its been my experience the Monroe county building department is not your friend they wont tell you what you need to do to accomplish your goal. they only tell you what you cant do. for example you go apply for a fence permit they tell you you cant put a fence up because of the deer. your neighbors have fencing why cant you? well you can but they wont tell you that need to put gates in it so the deer have access to your yard even though you will keep the gates closed all the time. or you want to pour a concrete driveway in your back/side yard to park your rv or boat. you will be told that you can't do it. now wait 3 months and apply for a permit to put a concrete patio in your yard and it will be approved and then you can park your rv on the concrete. both of these example occurred on my street to myself and one of my neighbors. best case is to hire a licensed contractor or expect a PIA experience working with the county. lets not even get into the rental regulations where you can only rent out your house for 28 days at a time. well they wont tell you is you can rent it out one time every 28 days. say next month a homeowner rented out their house from 1st to the 15th of February. the owner cant rent it out from the 15th to the 28th it must remain empty. They can start fresh on the 1st of march with a new 28 day rental period just make sure you submit your 12.5% short term rental tax to the county. any rentals less than six months require 12.5% tax to county. I see it as some rent is better than no rent but good luck getting a county worker to tell you this information/loophole. Be careful and don't assume anything in Monroe county! you can go to the county website and see the tens of thousands of special magistrate cases that have made the county tens of millions of dollars in daily fines over the years. you don't mess with Monroe county they will win in the end. Good Luck!

[IvanJose]

"What is the point of allowing the sale of Tier I lots, which are environmentally sensitive land, if they cannot be developed? It seems like a scam because it is practically like selling a lot inside a national park.

"You can't do anything on your lot, but you must pay me taxes." If the land is considered "environmentally sensitive land," it should not be for sale and should be owned by the government, period.