Lakeland orders $50-a-day fine for 704 Lincoln Ave.; developer asks for 9-month window to replan

The City of Lakeland Code Enforcement Board voted to impose a $50-per-day fine on the owner of 704 Lincoln Avenue North after an affidavit of noncompliance was filed March 6, 2025, for exterior maintenance and roof violations.

Steven J. Kennedy, code enforcement officer for the City of Lakeland, told the board the case number is LCE24-04578, that the violations cited were “41311 a exterior maintenance and 41 31 roofs,” and that an order giving the respondents until March 5, 2025, had been issued on Dec. 5, 2024. The affidavit of noncompliance was filed March 6, 2025; the city recommended a $50-per-day fine running from that date until the property is brought into compliance.

Paul Granville, who identified himself as the project manager for the property, and Amir Kaldi, trustee, said the building suffered substantial roof damage in recent storms and that the owners have since acquired a fourth parcel that gives them control of the whole site. Granville said the group wants to pursue a larger redevelopment rather than simply patch the roof and restore the former nightclub use. “We would like the opportunity for perhaps a 9 month break from these code enforcement opportunities so that we can work with all the agencies that we're working with,” Granville said.

Code Enforcement Manager Sunny Marshall and other staff noted the case file includes photographic evidence of roof damage and prior communications. Marshall told the board photos from July showed extensive roof damage; staff had received quotes including drawings and site plans from the respondents but the building division had not received a permit application, site-plan application or structural drawings from an architect or engineer.

Board members pressed the representatives on timelines and the condition of the property in the interim. Granville said repairing the roof could cost “in the region of a hundred and 50 to 2 hundred thousand dollars,” and that if financing and a new long-term use did not materialize the owners would demolish the structure.

A motion to accept staff’s recommendation — that the $50-per-day fine run from March 6, 2025, until compliance — was made and seconded by board members. The motion carried and the board ordered the fine to run effective March 6, 2025. The board agreed the respondents may return once they have made measurable progress and have clarified future plans for the site.

Why it matters: The site sits near the children’s museum and board and developer discussion centered on whether a short-term repair or a broader redevelopment would better serve downtown Lakeland; the board emphasized the property may not remain an ongoing blight while plans are developed.

The board record shows: violation date July 15, 2024; order issued Dec. 5, 2024; affidavit of noncompliance effective March 6, 2025; fine ordered $50 per day starting March 6, 2025, until compliance is achieved.