The City Of Oakland Park Tried To Shake Down Homeowner For $1Million For Former Owner’s Code Violations
The City of Oakland Park, Florida has left a handyman in shock. Several weeks ago, the city sent Denny Dorcey a daunting bill of over $1 million. The massive bill was for unpaid code violations on his Florida home. However, it wasn’t because of him. It was from the previous owners.
Denny Dorcey bought his home 10 years ago when it was in foreclosure. He completely overhauled the space. He added bespoke cabinets and restored old televisions. As well as, the original oven to give the home a 1970s vibe.
The letter said Dorcey owed the city over $1 million for code violations. All the fines were from before he bought the house.
The letter detailed four minor violations committed by the previous owners.
Yet, there were no fines or liens detailed after Dorcey had bought the house.
Oakland Park only notified Dorcey after allegedly clearing out old files. That is when they happened to come across his.
Dorcey told them he wouldn’t be able to pay such a large fine. The city told him to call the collection agency and negotiate a settlement.
Unfortunately, the daunting price was out of Dorcey’s reach.
The fines aren’t his fault. However, the bill is still his responsibility.
It is perfectly legal for Government agencies to wait ten years to collect on a debt. Allowing them to grow allows the city to collect more money.
However, the city cannot collect this money. Why? Dorcey bought the property in a tax foreclosure. Thus, the foreclosure wiped out any existing liens and fines that the city had on the property.
WSVN got involved. The station notified the City of Oakland Park. The city claimed they were unaware of the foreclosure.
As a result, Dorcey’s $1 million fine was dropped.
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