City drops holiday display lawsuit against politician

PLANTATION — The city has dropped its lawsuit aimed at recouping thousands of dollars in code enforcement fees from a homeowner who is now a City Council member.

Mark Hyatt, who won a seat on the City Council in November, most notably beat the city in circuit court in October when it tried to get a judge to force him and his wife to shut down or scale back their massive Christmas display.

Another city lawsuit, filed in May, sought a lien against the Hyatts’ house “to satisfy the outstanding money owed.”

The city was seeking $8,350 for alleged code enforcement violations that were part of his Christmas display, and the city’s attorneys fees. The city dropped its own suit on Dec. 7, according to court records.

Horace McHugh, Plantation’s Chief Administrative Officer, said Tuesday the fine is not going away, but the city’s effort to place a lien on his house is. He said the city still wants him to “address the resolution of the fine.”

“We felt in light of Mr. Hyatt’s new duties to the public, we felt it’s in the best interests of the city,” he said. “We’re just not pursuing it ... but we preserve the right ... to take additional steps in the future.”

The city’s attorney declined comment. Hyatt could not be reached for comment.

Also Tuesday, Hyatt’s lawyers attempted to cover about $17,000 in costs associated with the Christmas display case, such as transcripts, witness fees and copying of documents, according to an aide for Broward Circuit Judge Marina Garcia-Wood.

Garcia-Wood could make a decision at the next hearing Feb. 13, according to the aide.