Joe Donzelli bought his Tamarac, Florida, house in February 2015, drawn by a pool, a covered patio and a sweeping view of the former Woodlands Country Club golf course. The property became a quiet retreat for the Donzelli family, a life shaped by the green turf of the course and the serenity of the Florida evenings.
In March 2024, 13th Floor Homes completed a ₹14 million purchase of 270 acres at 4600 Woodlands Boulevard, turning the former golf course into the gated community The Woodlands, slated to house 335 single‑family homes. The developer’s site plan promised an 80‑foot buffer from existing properties, a promise that now comes under scrutiny.
The first trigger was a letter sent to Donzelli in January 2026, in which 13th Floor Homes alleged “potential encroachments” in his backyard. The letter included a diagram: a green line marking the legal boundary and a red circle encompassing his pool and patio. The developer warned Donzelli that he had three days to remove any structures falling within the company’s property, or the construction firm would do it for him.
After Donzelli called a company representative, he learned that a surveyor would be dispatched to verify the property line, and that the three‑day deadline had been waived. Yet no surveyor has arrived, and Donzelli has received no further communication. He worries that other long‑time Tamarac residents—many who bought homes in the early 1970s—may face similar threats as the new development pushes forward.
13th Floor Homes maintains that boundaries are set by certified surveys based on legal titles and Broward County Property Appraiser records, and it has pledged to work with residents individually. The next official step is the survey itself; until then, Donzelli and his neighbors remain in a state of uncertainty, with the possibility of having to dismantle their pool and patio looming over them.