Board waives majority of 2012 trash lien, limits owner's liability to $495 in administrative costs

Seminole County commissioners unanimously approved a reduction of a trash-and-debris lien tied to a property in Commissioner Hurr's district, limiting the recoverable amount to the case's administrative costs of $495.15.

Clerk to Code Enforcement Alexis Valle told the board the underlying violation dated to February 2012. A findings-of-fact order in October 2012 imposed an initial fine of $18,000, which accrued at $250 per day until the property was brought into compliance on June 6, 2018. Valle said the total lien amount recorded is $507,895.15 and the property's assessed value is $21,805.

Valle said the property owner brought the site into compliance in 2018 but the prior clerk did not record the affidavit of compliance in official records; Valley said that step was completed in 2024 and the respondent then requested a total waiver. The owner, Vernette Cole, told the board she did not receive certified notices at her mailing address and was "blindsided" when she learned of the lien.

Commissioner Hurr moved to reduce the lien to administrative expenses only ($495.15); the motion was seconded and carried unanimously. The county attorney noted statutory limits on recoverable administrative costs but said her office and the county manager will review the code enforcement process to improve capture of administrative costs going forward.

The board's action satisfied the current recorded lien once the administrative fee is paid; no additional fines were applied at the meeting and staff confirmed no further public comment was offered on the matter.