Atlanta solicitor outlines expansion of nuisance enforcement, liens and special properties team

City Solicitor Raines Carter told Atlanta City Council that the solicitor’s office has expanded its Safe and Secure Housing Initiative into a broader special properties team that pursues injunctive relief and enforcement actions against “bad actors” who operate nuisance or dangerous properties.

“With some of these multifamily dwellings and property owners, we’re now getting penalties up to… and we’ve brought in over $300,000 in civil penalties that were related specifically to the multifamily properties that we have been tackling,” Carter said, describing recent enforcement and the office’s use of civil penalties to balance remediation and compliance work.

Carter said the office has used temporary injunctive relief and liquor-license enforcement to close venues tied to repeated criminal activity and nuisance conditions, and that some operators “play games” and reappear under new names or fight closures in appellate courts. He told council the office currently has multiple appeals pending and that litigation costs are rising as the office pursues injunctions in superior court.

Diversion, community prosecution and outreach

Carter highlighted expansion of diversion and community prosecution work. He said the diversion program and its chief, Nania Burnett, have increased participation, including adding Spanish translations and updating educational materials. Carter said the diversion program generates fees and program participation, reporting about a doubling of participants in an early-quarter comparison (from 2,700 participants in one period to over 4,000 in the first three months of the later period) and that diversion-related work “brings in over $3,000,000 a year in fees.”

Carter also described community prosecution initiatives — legal education, youth programs, senior outreach, “Know Your Rights” events and drug‑awareness efforts — and thanked council members and partner departments for supporting the work.

Commercial blight and Operation Double Victory

Council members asked about commercial blight and foreclosure or lien strategies. Carter said the office and a special properties team member, Jordan Williams, are building cases against commercial properties with chronic violations and are coordinating with code enforcement, the mayor’s policy office and other partners. Carter and Jordan Williams said the office has a set of commercial cases in preparation for FY26 and is evaluating tax and remediation paths.

Carter described “Operation Double Victory,” a coordination effort with the Fulton County Solicitor’s Office intended to match charging and case-handling across jurisdictions to improve efficiency and manage misdemeanor calendars across city and county systems.

Why this matters: Carter said expanding enforcement beyond municipal court to superior court yields stronger remedies against repeat offenders but increases litigation expense and appellate exposure. Council members commended the office for reducing blight in specific corridors and asked that the special properties work remain fully funded.

Discussion vs. decision

Council discussion focused on funding for litigation and superior‑court enforcement, coordination with Fulton County and other agencies, and strategies for tackling nuisance uses and illegal gaming machines. Carter asked for continued council support for litigation and staffing to sustain the expansion of the Safe and Secure Housing Initiative.

What’s next

Carter said the solicitor’s office will continue to pursue injunctive relief and liquor-license enforcement against repeat bad actors, proceed with commercial blight cases identified for FY26, and work with the Department of Law to resolve procedural issues where ordinance wording caused evidentiary or service problems in court. The office also asked council to support budget adjustments that reflect litigation and implementation costs tied to superior‑court enforcement.