Code board finds violations at vacant Windward Court home, orders cleanup within 60 days

The Punta Gorda Code Enforcement Board found that the property at 1239 Windward Court is in violation of multiple sections of the Punta Gorda Code and ordered the respondent to bring the property into compliance within 60 days. Board members voted that the city established a prima facie case after Code Compliance Officer Meredith Achtenberg presented inspection photos and a timeline showing notices sent and posted in April and June 2025. Achtenberg reported tall grass and/or weeds exceeding 12 inches, stagnant water in the pool and outside storage items remaining on the property during inspections on April 8, June 23 and July 22, 2025. The board issued a cease-and-desist order for future violations of Punta Gorda Code Chapter 9 §9-2(h), Chapter 26 §8.11(e) and Chapter 9 §9-2(a), ordered the respondent to bring the property into compliance within 60 days of receipt of the order and assessed case costs of $29.22 payable within 60 days. The board warned that failure to comply may lead to fines of up to $250 per day plus interest. The board also instructed staff to continue efforts to locate a responsible party, including checking probate and tax records and working with Code Supervisor Nick Faulkner on follow-up. The violations and the board’s finding were entered in the record after the city’s notices were shown to have been posted on the property and at City Hall Annex; certified mailings to the owner were returned undeliverable or not returned. The city’s standard distressed-property procedures (posting and a 10-day cure period followed by contractor mowing and liening if not paid) were discussed as the enforcement path if contact with an owner cannot be made. The board’s action is an administrative compliance order; it does not itself replace any other civil or foreclosure actions that may be pending against the property.