FELLSMERE — The City of Fellsmere has sold a piece of its property to the Gamez family, who lives next door to the lot, at the southwest corner of Willow and Massachusetts, for $8,750. The sale will be finalized once the family’s bank signs off on the paperwork.
For three months, Lina and Heriberto Gamez have been working with Fellsmere staff to acquire the property so they could remedy a code violation issue. The family had been parking their vehicles on the city-owned lot, thinking the vacant piece of land was part of their property.
The city held a public hearing as part of its process to dispose of the city-owned lot, which is required under city rules.
“It’s all out in the open,” City Manager Jason Nunemaker said of the city’s movements to sell off the land.
The public hearing generated no public input. Aside from media and the Gamez family at the meeting, there was no one else from the public in attendance. The Gamezes did not speak during the hearing or discussion.
With the unanimous approval of selling the property, the Fellsmere City Council and staff set three conditions on the site. The city-owned lot and the family’s land would have to be under a unified title so the lots could not be sold separately later, a secondary driveway would have to be relocated farther away from the intersection of Willow and Massachusetts for safety purposes, and no secondary residential buildings could be placed or built on the now-vacant property.
The Fellsmere City Council has discussed the possibility of allowing small residential units be added to larger properties – such as mother-in-law suites – but such city rules have not yet been formalized.
Community Development Director Mark Mathes reminded the council and the Gamezes that, if the city were to establish such rules, the Gamez family could be allowed to build a secondary residence if their property met the rule’s requirements.
