Magistrate orders Palm City homeowner to clear trash and debris after repeated inspections

The Martin County Code Enforcement Magistrate found on July 16 that a Palm City property at 3169 Southwest Cornell Avenue had trash and outdoor storage constituting a nuisance under county code and ordered the owner to clean the property by Aug. 29.

Investigator Deborah Carrasco told the magistrate she first inspected the property on April 25 and photographed overgrown grass and items stored in the driveway; photographs were entered into evidence. Following a grass compliance on May 7, Carrasco said the property owner, Kurt H. Schaeffler, told her he was not ready for inspection and did not want the investigator on the property. Carrasco said she tried multiple times to contact Schaeffler and, when she could not secure reinspection, posted notices and continued the enforcement process.

Schaeffler appeared at the hearing and raised a constitutional objection about the county officer entering the property but acknowledged difficulty addressing the outdoor storage. He said he suffers from anxiety, has health issues and disputed some details of the photos; he also acknowledged the lawn had been cut. "This is a very relatively simple process... trash and debris still needs to be cleaned up on your property," the magistrate told Schaeffler.

Order and costs The magistrate admitted county exhibits 1–13 and found the violation existed. The magistrate ordered compliance by Aug. 29, 2025; if the property is not put into compliance the magistrate ordered a $100-per-day fine and awarded investigative costs of $575 to the county to be paid at the conclusion of the hearing.

Procedure and next steps Carrasco recommended the standard compliance date; the magistrate urged Schaeffler to arrange reinspection once the trash is removed. The magistrate stressed that violations observable from the street can be enforced even if entry to the curtilage is refused.