HB finds collapsed balcony, home declared unsafe

A rotted, fallen balcony at a Holmes Beach residence observed by an inspector got attention in Holmes Beach. JT Thomas, the city’s code compliance supervisor, told The Islander July 4 that while on a June 28 vacation rental inspection at a neighboring building, he observed a collapsed balcony at a nearby residence. Thomas said he tried to investigate but was denied entry by the owner of the property at 4106 Sixth Ave., Virginia Stewart. Thomas called West Manatee Fire Rescue fire marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski, who deemed the situation “life-threatening” and gained emergency access to the building. The three-story building, constructed in 2002, was purchased by Stewart in 2003. Ian Perryman was listed as the owner during construction, but the Manatee County Property Appraiser’s website does not specify the builder. Perryman was the developer of several homes in the same area, all of similar design, including numerous balconies. The former resident of Bradenton Beach has since moved out of the country. The city failed to fulfill a July 9 public records request from The Islander for any permits issued at the Sixth Avenue address by the press deadline for The Islander. Holmes Beach building official Neal Schwartz, Thomas and Kwiatkowski inspected the home and found the damage — debris from the balcony, including rotted wood and stucco, as well as a concrete railing, had fallen one story to the pool area on the west side of the property. Thomas said nobody was injured by the incident — which he estimated to have occurred in a single drop around June 26 — but the city declared the building unsafe for human occupancy since the balcony collapsed due to structural issues. The city also issued a code violation to the property owner. The building will remain taped off and closed for public safety until Stewart and her contractor and/or engineer works with Schwartz to determine what work is needed to ensure structural integrity, according to Thomas. He added that if the property owner doesn’t cooperate, the case could go before the city’s special magistrate.