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Magistrate declares property a chronic nuisance; city authorized to abate after 14 days
Summary
A special magistrate declared 19170 Third Avenue a chronic nuisance after the city presented a multi-year record of violations and ordered that the city may abate the property after 14 days if the owner does not resolve the condition; costs may be recorded as a lien and magistrate retained jurisdiction up to one year.
Madam Special Magistrate found the property at 19170 Third Avenue met the criteria for a chronic nuisance and authorized the City of St. Pete Beach to provide chronic nuisance services after a 14‑day period, including entering the property to abate conditions and assessing the city’s reasonable costs as a lien on the property.
Louis Cruz and other city witnesses presented photographs and prior magistrate orders showing repeated violations and episodic cleanup efforts dating back to 2019, including debris, trailers, RVs and overflowing trash that the city says created a pattern of nuisance activity. The city filed a notice of nuisance on June 23, 2025 and said the owner did not file the required action plan within the specified time. Officer Rob Deshel provided evidence of posting and patrol photographs.
Jeffrey Myers, the property owner, said he has struggled to keep the property cleared because of vision loss, the hurricanes and intermittent help from others. “I missed the court date a long time ago,” Myers said; he told the magistrate he had placed dumpsters and staged cleanup and expected to finish work in one to two weeks. The magistrate accepted that some progress had been made but found the record met the chronic‑nuisance standard.
The magistrate’s written order will be recorded in the public record, mailed by certified mail and first-class mail to mortgagees of record, and provide for continuing jurisdiction for up to one year; the city may abate after the 14‑day period and recover costs as a non‑ad valorem assessment and a lien superior to other private interests, collectible under Florida Statute 197.3632. The magistrate said she would delay any city abatement for 14 days to allow the owner to do what he could and instructed the city to provide a certified copy of the chronic nuisance service order to the property owner and mortgagees.
