The Community Development District 3 Board of Supervisors is considering going to court over a former homeowner’s refusal to pay a $5,200 fine.
Donald Terry Jr. has refused to pay the $5,200 in deed compliance fines racked up at his former home at 1825 Sanibel Court in the Village of Belle Aire. In April, the board refused to forgive the fine.
The home was purchased by Donald Terry Sr. in 2005 for $186,500. In 2013, the property was transferred to Donald Terry Jr. and Roseanne Terry of Deltona. They were the owners at the time of the violations. The home was sold in August 2021 to Perinelli LLC for $215,000. Two months later, the home was sold to Jeffrey Wyatt for $309,500.
The board learned Friday that Terry has refused to pay the fine and reportedly said the District should have collected the money at the time the property changed hands.
Supervisor Gail Lazenby suggested heading to small claims court to try to collect the money. Supervisor Steffan Franklin agreed with him.
However, Board Chairman Bill Ray and Supervisor Tilman Dean feared the legal expense could outweigh the potential recovery of the fine money.
Board member Terry Biddle was absent. Therefore, the CDD 3 board decided to wait until next month, when a full board is present, to render decision.
Do you think CDD 3 should forget about collecting the $5,200 or let it go? Share your thoughts in a Letter to the Editor at [email protected]