[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6214298,"mediaKeyId","3670826-36f5a46f901d791cf74d2341e126058c","parentId",3670826,"title","Magistrate cuts several large West Palm Beach code-enforcement liens; owners given time to pay","audioSeconds",4477,"startMs",9131000,"endMs",13608000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670826-36f5a46f901d791cf74d2341e126058c&start=9131&end=13608","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670826-36f5a46f901d791cf74d2341e126058c/thumbnail_9131000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6214298/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Magistrate-cuts-several-large-West-Palm-Beach-code-enforcement-liens-owners-given-time-to-pay","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214298-797f2e4706e99ea921149b88d7acc6c0/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155237&Signature=jY47RqrUncvrnwFvuztTc5xey155lI5615WW1XyqjNzPrY7Dy4M0cUeMe7VjxwzEoLN4gZTHZUba05r9PjIunYPwfg4k1wVeKR11pBUkU7K5evXL8VXPoFKAmIxF6abF46LRl08BbkqDup6l5zXr4pOo3dBsTJn3VsD5WSZ2x5kpf~coSHc58~gNyIJVyJaAG2Bka1QVBc8md~WAkCYiFORbl2P3CgXOHbKnkrtQVSCImW~RL5ksI1FJ0v4sq0eWSjGymAFt8MnUem7igl6lzMUp9Ffb~XVNn0PHfEWhj3fQx3xeGagqcH5r5R0ZrAFN-UbXgOFgR~dnLgcaO5e-0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of West Palm Beach, FL","date","2025-06-04T20:42:30Z","article","Special Magistrate Amity Barnard reduced outstanding code-enforcement liens for multiple properties at a June 3 lien-reduction and fine-mitigation hearing, setting payment deadlines and weighing the gravity of violations against owners’ claims of hardship.

Barnard heard mitigation requests for a series of properties and, after considering city recommendations and owner testimony, issued the following notable reductions and payment terms:

- 3402 Greenwood Avenue (cases CE08110019, CE21050247, CE10040697, CE10020360): The magistrate reduced four liens originally totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. She ordered reductions to $1,000 (original $1,900), $1,500 (original $3,500), $7,500 (from $438,100) and $10,000 (from $479,700) respectively, each payable within one year. Owner Julie Alexis Felix told the magistrate, “I’ve spent everything that I have to be in compliance,” describing repeated work to meet historic-district requirements and saying the property remained uninhabitable for her family.

- 3940 North Flagler Drive Unit 402 (CE23020248): reduced from $39,600 to $3,500, payable within 30 days. Attorney Paul Krasker, representing owner Alex Najam, said the units had been leased and that the owner ceased renting and contacted code enforcement once notified; Krasker asked for a modest reduction given the owner’s lack of knowledge about licensing obligations.

- 3940 North Flagler Drive Unit 405 (CE23020247): reduced from $45,400 to $3,500, payable within 30 days (similar facts to Unit 402).

- 612 Hudson Road (CE09110049): reduced from $89,550 to $10,000, payable within one year. Former owner Javier Miranda testified he had not owned the property since a 2009 foreclosure and a 2010 bankruptcy discharge; the magistrate considered the case history but left the lien attached to the individual owner with a substantially reduced amount.

- 92530 Seventh Street (CE23030146): reduced from $64,650 to $3,000, payable within one year. Owner Sammy Ansari described financial hardship after family losses and said he had attempted to comply once the issue surfaced.

- 3219 Windsor Avenue (CE24072270): reduced from $3,400 to $1,500, payable within 60 days; a listing agent attending for the prior owner said they had made landscaping and curb corrections before sale.

Barnard explained her decisions repeatedly follow the state statutory factors for mitigation, including the gravity of the violations and the number of prior code enforcement actions on a property. In addressing Julie Felix, the magistrate noted both the significant historic‑district work completed and the prior history of enforcement against the property before Felix’s ownership.

Owners and counsel frequently emphasized financial hardship and the time and money already spent on repairs. Felix told the magistrate she had spent “over $300,000” on repairs and twice paid to replace windows and roofing materials to meet historic-district and building‑code standards. The city generally deferred to the magistrate’s discretion in mitigation amounts but highlighted that some violations were longstanding and significant.

Barnard cautioned owners that mitigation reductions are time-limited: the magistrate imposed payment windows (most commonly 30 days to one year) and reminded owners that failure to pay within the deadline could restore liens to their original amounts and prevent another mitigation request for a year.

The magistrate provided written orders at the hearing and closed the session at 12:45 p.m.; the city will monitor payments and compliance per each order.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Code Compliance Special Magistrate Hearing | June 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","During a June 3 mitigation docket, Special Magistrate Amity Barnard reduced lien amounts on multiple properties — in some cases dramatically — and set payment windows; several owners described financial hardship and detailed work taken to bring properties into compliance.","taxTitle","West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida","taxId",4250,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6214302,"Special magistrate orders dozens of West Palm Beach properties to fix code violations or face daily fines",4087,350000,4437000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3670826-36f5a46f901d791cf74d2341e126058c&start=350&end=4437","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3670826-36f5a46f901d791cf74d2341e126058c/thumbnail_350000.jpg","/articles/6214302/West-Palm-Beach/Palm-Beach-County/Florida/Special-magistrate-orders-dozens-of-West-Palm-Beach-properties-to-fix-code-violations-or-face-daily-fines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6214302-b089f7ad1b99aa380b12b6a97a6bc6fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771155237&Signature=TAC9XwWHMPqbZLddkobV6ukpqXdprINpLfjaaufWRmsWwDoDEgJQZ8xvM1xuB0BMa2Wz21s21-4S-hqx5jmvuZqO2x728dH2~da0~dzZpoNFeWFXzISzyMEUSSz07hQRVwl4rhgW3P4OqJSwiGYPHY0m4RuaS8PibRAHXVUmGjDmjwSfPvDyjYFgPowcDVaFAo9O4K7F8OuGDc4ibePm6k5ushneqIwmidJcX-B7dzq2x-40a3mzfPWKmwL741qgdgjYjh0e8akvoi2c1femHp169sEkhGKLSeY0clVh3FAvU0aPWcMR2gFp66epDn4dbdgegIlbWk5UxaICwPoISw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Special Magistrate Amity Barnard on June 3 ordered multiple West Palm Beach property owners to correct code violations within set deadlines or face daily fines, after the city presented photographic evidence and officers testified about inspections and notices.

The orders covered dozens of addresses. For one short-term rental at 41230 Fourth Street (case CE25043448) the magistrate found violations of city code sections 22-32(a), 78-6-4 and 22-441, and ordered the respondent to comply within 10 days or face a $150-per-day fine. Code officer Katie Weaver testified that notices and an affidavit of posting were completed and that reinspection photos taken June 3 showed the violations remained. Neighbor Jeffrey Grant testified about a recently constructed back porch and online rental advertising he said indicated frequent parties; he provided the hearing materials to staff for the record.

Other findings and deadlines included:
- 540 Klimatta Street Unit 4 (CE25043451): violation of 82-144 and 22-32(a); compliance ordered within 15 days or $200 per day. Kevin Levine, code enforcement supervisor, said an application was on file but fees and inspections remained unpaid.
- 82740 Second Street (CE25043468): multiple exterior and landscape violations; city and the property owner's representative requested 30 days, and the magistrate ordered 30 days to comply or $100 per day thereafter.
- 6461 Garden Court (CE25043452): cited for structural damage and failure to obtain permits following a fire; officer Paul McFarland testified that a re-submitted roofing permit was needed and that the city requested 90 days for permit issuance and 120 days to complete work; the magistrate required permits to be issued within 90 days and work completed within 120 days or $100 per day.
- 613 Uvernia/Avernia Street (CE25043450): ordered to bring landscaping, structure and right-of-way issues into compliance within 60 days or $100 per day.
- Multiple vacant lots and abandoned structures in the northwest neighborhood (cases led by Donald Lattimore) were cited for trash, overgrowth and unsecured buildings; several were given 30 days for parkway restoration or 45 days to address exterior repairs and painting, with fines set at $100–$150 per day if not corrected.

City officers consistently entered photos and notice documents into the record and testified that certified mail and posting procedures were completed. Where respondents or their representatives were absent, the magistrate found the city had achieved legal service and issued orders based on the file and testimony.

City staff and the magistrate distinguished compliance findings: in several cases, officers testified that some cited sections had been brought into compliance after the original notice date; the magistrate issued findings of fact for those sections and maintained active orders for remaining violations with specified cure periods.

Neighbors and property representatives occasionally supplemented the city's record. Jeffrey Grant, who identified himself as the adjacent homeowner to the property at Fourth Street, provided screenshots of a short-term rental listing that he said showed a back porch, pool table and party language; the magistrate accepted his materials into the city's file and considered them as part of the evidentiary record.

Magistrate Barnard closed the morning portion of the hearing and recessed the session for the lien-reduction/fine mitigation docket later in the day. The orders require the documented code sections to be brought into compliance within the timeframes listed on each order or daily fines will begin to accrue.","At a June special magistrate hearing, the City of West Palm Beach entered findings of violation on multiple properties and ordered owners to correct cited code sections within set timeframes or face daily fines; neighbors and code officers provided testimony and evidence in several cases.","actionData","errors"]

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Magistrate cuts several large West Palm Beach code-enforcement liens; owners given time to pay

Special magistrate orders dozens of West Palm Beach properties to fix code violations or face daily fines