Magistrate cuts several large West Palm Beach code-enforcement liens; owners given time to pay

Special Magistrate Amity Barnard reduced outstanding code-enforcement liens for multiple properties at a June 3 lien-reduction and fine-mitigation hearing, setting payment deadlines and weighing the gravity of violations against owners’ claims of hardship.

Barnard heard mitigation requests for a series of properties and, after considering city recommendations and owner testimony, issued the following notable reductions and payment terms:

- 3402 Greenwood Avenue (cases CE08110019, CE21050247, CE10040697, CE10020360): The magistrate reduced four liens originally totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. She ordered reductions to $1,000 (original $1,900), $1,500 (original $3,500), $7,500 (from $438,100) and $10,000 (from $479,700) respectively, each payable within one year. Owner Julie Alexis Felix told the magistrate, “I’ve spent everything that I have to be in compliance,” describing repeated work to meet historic-district requirements and saying the property remained uninhabitable for her family.

- 3940 North Flagler Drive Unit 402 (CE23020248): reduced from $39,600 to $3,500, payable within 30 days. Attorney Paul Krasker, representing owner Alex Najam, said the units had been leased and that the owner ceased renting and contacted code enforcement once notified; Krasker asked for a modest reduction given the owner’s lack of knowledge about licensing obligations.

- 3940 North Flagler Drive Unit 405 (CE23020247): reduced from $45,400 to $3,500, payable within 30 days (similar facts to Unit 402).

- 612 Hudson Road (CE09110049): reduced from $89,550 to $10,000, payable within one year. Former owner Javier Miranda testified he had not owned the property since a 2009 foreclosure and a 2010 bankruptcy discharge; the magistrate considered the case history but left the lien attached to the individual owner with a substantially reduced amount.

- 92530 Seventh Street (CE23030146): reduced from $64,650 to $3,000, payable within one year. Owner Sammy Ansari described financial hardship after family losses and said he had attempted to comply once the issue surfaced.

- 3219 Windsor Avenue (CE24072270): reduced from $3,400 to $1,500, payable within 60 days; a listing agent attending for the prior owner said they had made landscaping and curb corrections before sale.

Barnard explained her decisions repeatedly follow the state statutory factors for mitigation, including the gravity of the violations and the number of prior code enforcement actions on a property. In addressing Julie Felix, the magistrate noted both the significant historic‑district work completed and the prior history of enforcement against the property before Felix’s ownership.

Owners and counsel frequently emphasized financial hardship and the time and money already spent on repairs. Felix told the magistrate she had spent “over $300,000” on repairs and twice paid to replace windows and roofing materials to meet historic-district and building‑code standards. The city generally deferred to the magistrate’s discretion in mitigation amounts but highlighted that some violations were longstanding and significant.

Barnard cautioned owners that mitigation reductions are time-limited: the magistrate imposed payment windows (most commonly 30 days to one year) and reminded owners that failure to pay within the deadline could restore liens to their original amounts and prevent another mitigation request for a year.

The magistrate provided written orders at the hearing and closed the session at 12:45 p.m.; the city will monitor payments and compliance per each order.