Special magistrate orders dozens of West Palm Beach properties to fix code violations or face daily fines

Special Magistrate Amity Barnard on June 3 ordered multiple West Palm Beach property owners to correct code violations within set deadlines or face daily fines, after the city presented photographic evidence and officers testified about inspections and notices.

The orders covered dozens of addresses. For one short-term rental at 41230 Fourth Street (case CE25043448) the magistrate found violations of city code sections 22-32(a), 78-6-4 and 22-441, and ordered the respondent to comply within 10 days or face a $150-per-day fine. Code officer Katie Weaver testified that notices and an affidavit of posting were completed and that reinspection photos taken June 3 showed the violations remained. Neighbor Jeffrey Grant testified about a recently constructed back porch and online rental advertising he said indicated frequent parties; he provided the hearing materials to staff for the record.

Other findings and deadlines included: - 540 Klimatta Street Unit 4 (CE25043451): violation of 82-144 and 22-32(a); compliance ordered within 15 days or $200 per day. Kevin Levine, code enforcement supervisor, said an application was on file but fees and inspections remained unpaid. - 82740 Second Street (CE25043468): multiple exterior and landscape violations; city and the property owner's representative requested 30 days, and the magistrate ordered 30 days to comply or $100 per day thereafter. - 6461 Garden Court (CE25043452): cited for structural damage and failure to obtain permits following a fire; officer Paul McFarland testified that a re-submitted roofing permit was needed and that the city requested 90 days for permit issuance and 120 days to complete work; the magistrate required permits to be issued within 90 days and work completed within 120 days or $100 per day. - 613 Uvernia/Avernia Street (CE25043450): ordered to bring landscaping, structure and right-of-way issues into compliance within 60 days or $100 per day. - Multiple vacant lots and abandoned structures in the northwest neighborhood (cases led by Donald Lattimore) were cited for trash, overgrowth and unsecured buildings; several were given 30 days for parkway restoration or 45 days to address exterior repairs and painting, with fines set at $100–$150 per day if not corrected.

City officers consistently entered photos and notice documents into the record and testified that certified mail and posting procedures were completed. Where respondents or their representatives were absent, the magistrate found the city had achieved legal service and issued orders based on the file and testimony.

City staff and the magistrate distinguished compliance findings: in several cases, officers testified that some cited sections had been brought into compliance after the original notice date; the magistrate issued findings of fact for those sections and maintained active orders for remaining violations with specified cure periods.

Neighbors and property representatives occasionally supplemented the city's record. Jeffrey Grant, who identified himself as the adjacent homeowner to the property at Fourth Street, provided screenshots of a short-term rental listing that he said showed a back porch, pool table and party language; the magistrate accepted his materials into the city's file and considered them as part of the evidentiary record.

Magistrate Barnard closed the morning portion of the hearing and recessed the session for the lien-reduction/fine mitigation docket later in the day. The orders require the documented code sections to be brought into compliance within the timeframes listed on each order or daily fines will begin to accrue.