MiamiHerald.com | 01/31/2006 | Plan targets code violations

MiamiHerald.com | 01/31/2006 | Plan targets code violations: "Miramar wants to be the next South Florida city to regulate how homes with zoning infractions are sold.BY NATALIE P. McNEALnmcneal@MiamiHerald.comWhen Catherine Stephens bought her Miramar home in 2000, she fell in love with the dining room in the back, her deck and shed.But late last year, the city told her that her home has code violations: the deck needs a guardrail, the deck foundation needs more concrete and her shed is on her neighbor's property. Her dining room is actually a warmed-over patio that was constructed with the wrong-size lumber. Now her dream home needs $10,000 to bring it up to code.''I was proud to call this home,'' Stephens said. ``I now look at it as an albatross.''Tired of seeing unsuspecting home buyers slapped with fines or forced to make costly modifications on their older homes, Miramar commissioners may require a city-approved presale inspection to determine whether a house has zoning violations."