Missing and broken windows and doors on the second floor are among violations at the home on Coconut Lane. Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By John Pacenti
Ocean Ridge commissioners, in a particularly ornery mood at their Dec. 9 meeting, rejected the town attorney’s advice to settle outstanding code violations and pending litigation with the owner of a dilapidated home.
Town Attorney Christy Goddeau and her staff recommended that the commission accept a settlement where the owner of 23 Coconut Lane would pay $30,000 of $117,000 in outstanding fines and dismiss his lawsuit against Ocean Ridge.
There was little sympathy for James Cooksey, owner of the home. He said a sale fell through because of liens against the home and he needs a clean title to resurrect the deal.
“So instead of the buyer and the seller figuring out how to pay off that lien, you’re coming to the public to pay up that lien,” said Vice Mayor Steve Coz.
“They go for 509 days without doing the right thing. Then to come back and say, ‘Gee, it’s a lot of money,’” said Commissioner Ainar Aijala Jr. “If you would have done it when you were supposed to do it, you wouldn’t have had the big fines.”
Mayor Geoff Pugh called it disingenuous for Cooksey to seek relief after allowing the property to become not just an eyesore but unsafe for surrounding properties. He noted that the second-floor bedroom didn’t even have a door for a time.
“I’ve been watching birds fly in and out of that opening on the second floor for two years now. Enough is enough,” Pugh said.
Cooksey said that he spent $150,000 on interior work to try to save the home, which according to Zillow is worth $3.9 million. “It’s completely unlivable. The house has basically fallen apart. It had very, very bad settlement cracks,” he said.
Pugh said there were things Cooksey could have done, such as mow the grass.
Cooksey sued Ocean Ridge in 2023, claiming he was not properly notified of a hearing in front of the special magistrate on code violations at his home. The lawsuit was dismissed but Cooksey appealed the ruling.
Coz said he was amenable to maybe knocking $10,000 off the fines upon the sale of the property. Commissioner Carolyn Cassidy said she didn’t want to set a bad precedent.
Cooksey said his attorney believes he has a valid case going forward. “We can litigate the thing for two more years, I don’t care if that’s what you guys want to do. Pay people $500 an hour rather than resolving it,” he said.
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