‘Take it down:’ Florida shipping container man cave sparks zoning fight

Indialantic residents fear property value losses

INDIALANTIC, Fla. – A new addition to a man’s backyard isn’t going over so well with some of his neighbors.

Around Diane Circle, some residents said four shipping containers are against Brevard County’s zoning codes.

“When I look out my window and I see those shipping containers, I’m not happy,” Bluma Bofford said.

After decades in real estate, the realtor said she knows what can hurt property values and she also knows the zoning codes.

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So when Bofford saw the shipping containers being stacked in her neighbor’s backyard, she said she and other residents became concerned.

The realtor said they appear to be for living space because she said they have running water and electricity.

“This needs to be dismantled and come down and that’s it,” Bofford said. “You’re only allowed to have one container in the back for storage purposes. That’s all code allows you to do.”

Flyers distributed around the neighborhood attributed those rules and asked neighbors to complain about the construction.

Bofford said she called County Commissioner Jason Steele’s office and was told the permit for construction was issued by mistake.

A worker at the house Tuesday told News 6 the homeowner wasn’t home. He also couldn’t be reached for comment over the phone.

The county said it issued a stop work order on the man cave as it evaluates its options.

The county said the homeowner seems willing to work toward a solution.

“As far as I’m concerned, there is nothing to decide,” Bofford said. “Take it down and that’s it.”

The county said it’s scheduled a meeting with the homeowner for next Thursday.

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates to this story if a resolution is reached.

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About the Author

James joined News 6 in March 2016 as the Brevard County Reporter. His arrival was the realization of a three-year effort to return to the state where his career began. James is from Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Broadcast Journalism.

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