New Law Prohibits Code Violation Investigations By Way of Anonymous Complaints

On June 29, 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed Senate Bill 60 into law which no longer allows code enforcement officers to investigate anonymous complaints.  Under the new law, which went into effect on July 1, 2021, all code enforcement reports must include the name and address of the person submitting the report.  This includes code compliance investigation requests made through the City of Cooper City’s website, social media pages, SeeClickFix and phone calls or electronic mail.

 

The new law states, “A code enforcement officer may not initiate an investigation of a potential violation of a duly enacted code or ordinance by way of an anonymous complaint. A person who reports a potential violation of a code or an ordinance must provide his or her name and address to the respective local government before an investigation may occur.”

 

There is one exception outlined in the law that states, “This paragraph does not apply if the code enforcement officer has reason to believe that the violation presents an imminent threat to public health, safety, or welfare or imminent destruction of habitat or sensitive resources.”

 

Cooper City residents can submit a potential violation of code or ordinance by utilizing the SeeClickFix service and providing all required information.  Submit a potential violation of code or ordinance through SeeClickFix here.

 

You can read and learn more about the approved legislative bill, here.