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Code board finds Burton estate property in violation; gives family until July 18 to comply
Summary
The Safety Harbor Code Enforcement Board found the estate of Lucy M. Burton in violation after inspectors described a rotted roof, lack of sanitary facilities and general blight at 660 Tenth Avenue North. The board ordered full compliance by July 18, 2025, or a $150-per-day fine will begin; it awarded the city $410 in administrative costs.
The Safety Harbor Code Enforcement Board on March 19 found the estate of Lucy M. Burton in violation of multiple city codes for a vacant house at 660 Tenth Avenue North and ordered the property brought into compliance by July 18, 2025.
The board’s action comes after city inspectors described the house as vacant and blighted, with a roof “rotted and missing large sections,” exterior deterioration and no sanitary facilities. Paul Bushey, community compliance officer for the City of Safety Harbor, presented photos and mailing records and asked the board to find the estate in violation and to allow time to correct the conditions.
The findings matter because the board said the structure’s condition posed a continuing neighborhood blight and the city’s rules require remediation. The order requires the estate to complete repairs and otherwise correct four cited code violations by July 18. If the respondent does not comply, a $150-per-day fine will begin to accrue each day afterward. The board also awarded the city $410 to cover administrative costs incurred in prosecuting the case.
Bushey, identified as the city’s community compliance officer, described the damage and presented photographs taken in October and again the morning of the hearing. “The roof is rotted and missing large sections,” he said while summarizing the pictures and the mailed notices. He told the board the city mailed a notice of violation on Dec. 26, 2024, and posted the required hearing notices.
A family member who identified herself as Rachel Burton Thomas, appearing as a respondent representative, said the family had recently learned they owned the house after the deaths of their parents, and asked the board for time to secure a roofing contractor and to organize repairs. “So we just need a little more, we need more time in order to get the house back in order,” Thomas said, asking for 90 days to complete the work. Board members questioned whether 90 days would be realistic and urged the respondent to begin the permit and contractor process immediately.
Board member Jeff Dahl moved the motion finding the estate in violation and setting a compliance date of July 18, 2025; Holly Myers seconded. Dahl cautioned that construction timelines can be tight but supported additional time “given the situation and the facts in this case.” The board voted 7–0 to approve the motion.
The board’s order will be reduced to writing and mailed to the property at 660 Tenth Avenue North. Code Enforcement Clerk Elizabeth Bandy and Bushey advised the respondent that they could discuss the specific steps to obtain permits and compliance with Bushey after the hearing or by calling city hall. The order contains findings of fact and conclusions of law and is subject to the board’s formal issuance procedures.
The city will send the written order to the estate’s address; the administrative cost award is due whether or not the property is brought into compliance by the deadline.
