Orange County explores solutions for better warehouse oversight, after Sloth World, Magic in the Sky incidents

ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County leaders and commissioners admit the county needs more resources and help to conduct the thousands of building inspections and code enforcement inspections each year – and it is something that may take multiple solutions.

Building inspections and permitting were one of the many questions and concerns that FOX35 brought to Orange County Commissioners following the deadly "Magic in the Sky" fireworks fire in 2022, and most recently, after dozens of sloths were found to be stored – a dozen were later rescued – in a warehouse along International Drive.

County leaders and commissioners discussed some of the challenges that both departments face and solutions – including one that has already been implemented.

The backstory:

When it comes to permitting and inspecting warehouses, there are two departments involved: The Office of the Fire Marshall and Orange County Code Compliance.

The Fire Marshall is tasked with investigating buildings for fire risk, while code enforcement, like its name implies, is tasked with ensuring structures – and already built – are up to current safety standards.

Some of those processes have been questioned in light of the Magic in the Sky and Sloth World tragedies. Could the county be more efficient?

By the numbers:

In 2024, Orange County said it had 180 people tasked with enforcing building codes, conducting inspections, and/or issuing building permits. That same year, more than 270,000 inspections were conducted. Nearly 70,000 were not done that year due to various resource limitations.

Dig deeper:

As FOX 35 previously reported, the warehouse being used by Magic in the Sky to store fireworks was, according to the county, permitted to store furniture, and the warehouse where dozens of imported sloths were stored over several months, was permitted to store vehicles, not animals.

The county said code enforcers were unaware of the alleged illegal activities that were happening inside those warehouses. FOX 35 also found that the routine fire inspections at both warehouses did not happen on time.

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson said more oversight is needed across all departments.

"Had there been more oversight, we would have been able to prevent a potential tragedy," she said.

Orange County Fire Rescue Chief: Staffing for fire inspections has tripled in recent years

Orange County Fire Rescue Division Chief William Farhat told FOX 35 in a statement on Thursday that the staff conducting fire inspections has tripled in recent years, part of a state mandate to expand inspection requirements under the Florida Fire Prevention Code.

Code enforcement 

Orange County code inspectors typically respond when there is a complaint made about a building or when officers notice potential violations in plain site of a public area. Inspectors also conduct checks related to permit applications.

However, because Sloth World's owners did not apply for a permit to store animals – and the privately-owned building was previously permitted to store vehicles – Orange County Government said there was no reason to inspect the building.

In fact, Orange County inspectors conducted new inspections at the Sloth World warehouse following FOX 35's reporting, which showed animal shipping crates outside the building and an apparent mesh covering fixed to the warehouse doors).

"No one knew what was going on inside that building," said Brandy Driggers, the Orange County Neighborhood Services Division Manager.

Tanya Wilson, the Director of the Planning, Environmental, and Development Services Department, said they’re doing the best with what they have.

"Can we do more? Yes," she said. ""I think the best response in terms of improvements and efficiency is going to be seen on the technology side."

Solution 1: Nuisance Abatement Resource Coalition

What's next:

Following FOX 35's reporting on Sloth World, leaders said there needs to be better communication between government agencies, local to federal.

They've also created the Nuisance Abatement Resource Coalition (NARC), which is a partnership between law enforcement, code enforcement, the fire department, building department, building safety, and the state health department.

NARC used to meet quarterly, but after the Sloth World situation, the task force meets monthly, said Commissioner Mike Scott.

"What happens, is someone will go and do an inspection and say, ‘Hey, it's not my department.’ But if we're meeting collectively monthly, that usually alleviates the problem because then we work in concert with one another," said Commissioner Scott. "I think the biggest thing is communication."

Other regulations

Commissioner Nicole Wilson is planning a presentation for the August 4 Board of County Commissioners meeting to discuss other regulations of wild animals, hoping to prevent another Sloth World.

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