A Tiki hut atop a home in Holmes Beach will soon be history, the owner promises.
She’s not happy about it.
But Holmes Beach building department officials are insisting on the Tiki hut’s removal from the home at 516 Bayview Drive.
Acting upon a complaint from a neighbor worried the Tiki bar could cause damages if it were to blow away in a strong wind, city officials inspected the structure and ordered it removed in May.
Owner Gail Calhoun said her family just needs time to remove the structure.
“When I first moved into the house in January of 2016, one of the first projects that I became excited about was making a Tiki bar on the rooftop,” Calhoun wrote in an email to The Islander. “Perfect view, perfect place.
“I enlisted my dear 85-year-old dad to help. He pushed through sun and heat to help me make it. He would do anything for me. We finished in the spring of 2016.”
Calhoun didn’t seek a permit because, she wrote, the Tiki hut is not a permanent structure.
“We looked at it as a big table to have fun and fellowship with friends and family, which we have had, many times,” Calhoun wrote.
The Tiki hut is movable, has no power, plumbing, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, bedding or even a real roof, she wrote. It has a decorative cover.
After a neighbor pointed out the Tiki hut, building inspector John Fernandez placed a stop work order on the home, which upset Calhoun.
“The Tiki bar has been up for over a year,” Calhoun said. “Then, out of the blue, Holmes Beach code enforcement shows up at my door, although diplomatically and almost sympathetically, to tell me I needed a permit. They instructed me I needed sealed, engineered plans and a permit.”
Two engineers have advised her the Tiki hut did not require a permit, Calhoun wrote.
While negotiating with the building department to retain the hut, the situation escalated, she wrote.
“In the midst of our communications, a representative from the building department shows up unannounced, displaying a terribly arrogant attitude, posting a ‘stop work’ tag on the house, making me feel like a criminal, stabbing me right in the heart, giving no consideration to the likelihood that many would agree that the Tiki bar we have is not a structure,” Calhoun wrote.
Building official James McGuinness gave Calhoun until June 21 to remove the Tiki hut.
“Hurricane season is here and time is of the essence for compliance,” McGuinness emailed Calhoun.
At a June 7 meeting of the Holmes Beach Planning Commission, McGuinness added: “I expect full and voluntary compliance.”
Calhoun wrote she was not aware any of her neighbors were upset by the Tiki hut.
“The only comments we have heard are all positive,” Calhoun wrote. “I am resolved to get the situation settled and we do want to rebuild.”
Calhoun wrote she plans to follow the process to apply for a permit.
“We are people of our word and will make every effort to have it removed as soon as possible,” Calhoun emailed.
Calhoun made it clear she was unhappy with how building officials handled the situation.
“The whole experience with that department stinks,” she wrote.
The Islander’s archived real estate transactions show a canalfront pool home built in 1970 at 516 Bayview Drive sold Feb. 1, 2016, for $690,000.
The Holmes Beach Planning Commission will meet next at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 5, in city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.
ahh! welcome to drama island, where your dreams are controlled by all your neighbors jealousy!
Get permits people, simple-easy and less stress, do building according to code then your neighbors will have to mind their own business!
AMID AnnaMariaIslandDrama no thanks!