ST. CLOUD — The long-delayed restoration of the downtown St. Cloud Hotel remains out of compliance with a city code enforcement order after project representatives failed to secure a required building permit, according to testimony presented during a Wednesday hearing.
During the Code Enforcement hearing, Special Magistrate D. Andrew Smith III ruled the project at 10th Street and New York Avenue must still meet its court-ordered completion deadline of March 6, 2027, despite continuing delays and mounting financial penalties.
City officials testified that the project’s permit application remains incomplete months after deficiencies were first identified by the city.
Christina Soto, Deputy Building Department Director and the city’s State Qualified Building Official, told the magistrate that the hotel project’s general contractor, Larry Schnapper, submitted permit paperwork lacking information required under both the Florida Building Code and City of St. Cloud regulations.
According to Soto, the city notified the contractor of the missing information on March 4, but no response was received from the contractor or the property owner until May 19. Schnapper later acknowledged during the hearing that the lack of response may have been his responsibility.
Soto also testified that additional information submitted this week still failed to satisfy the city’s permitting requirements, preventing the permit from being issued.
“Like everybody here, I want to see the project done,” Smith said during the hearing. “I’d rather see you spending money on contractors than paying fines because that’s how you get the project done.”
The hotel project has been accruing fines of $1,000 per day since March 7 for failing to obtain the permit and address fire safety issues at the property.
Schnapper told the magistrate the project team remains committed to completing the restoration.
“We want to get this project done; we want it to look beautiful,” Schnapper said. “We want to be proud of the project.”
Smith pushed back against claims that the city was unnecessarily delaying the process.
“I don’t see a city acting in bad faith,” Smith said.
City Attorney Dan Mantzaris argued the daily fines should remain in place, citing what he described as ongoing resistance and lack of cooperation from the respondent throughout the process.
“Under the Code Enforcement law, the cooperation of the respondent is one of the three factors to be considered in imposing a fine,” Mantzaris said. “This respondent continues to fight with the city.”
Mantzaris also noted that administrative costs totaling $533.03, previously ordered to be paid by March 16, remain unpaid.
At several points during the hearing, Smith expressed frustration over repeated disputes regarding deadlines and code requirements.
“I understand why they’re telling me your constant insistence on reinterpreting every rule is a problem,” Smith said. “I do believe it is a problem that is holding you up.”
The magistrate ultimately ruled that if the required permit is obtained by June 1, the project’s accrued fines — currently totaling approximately $75,000 — will be reduced to $5,000 and temporarily suspended until the restoration is completed.
However, Smith made clear that the March 6, 2027 completion deadline remains unchanged.
“You’ve got one big ticking clock at the back end of this,” Smith said. “And you’ve got to get it done by then.”
