Magistrate offers lien reduction for Cocoa Beach vacation-rental owner if paid within 30 days

Special Magistrate Lonnie Groot on March 12 entered an order reducing a $70,000 code-enforcement lien against respondent Rachel Aragon to $37,500 if Aragon pays that reduced amount within 30 days; if not paid within the 30-day window the lien will revert to the full $70,000.

The action resolved a compliance matter tied to an unregistered vacation rental at 645 South Atlantic Avenue. Code Enforcement Officer Danielle Crawford told the magistrate the $70,000 total reflected fines assessed from Sept. 30, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024, including a $250 initial fine and daily fines that had been assessed for alleged over-occupancy. Crawford said the city stopped accruing the $500-per-day over-occupancy fine on Dec. 31 as a courtesy after listings were reduced to the eight-occupant limit.

Respondent Rachel Aragon told the magistrate she had rented the property for about 50 nights and said she lived in the home and used short-term rental income to help pay the mortgage. Aragon provided a calculation she said would reduce the lien to about $37,500 based on the number of days she says the property was rented. Aragon also said she is attempting to sell the property and that clearing title quickly is important to her sale and closing.

Magistrate Groot outlined the court-readable terms: "I will enter an order that reduces the overall fine to 70,000, but reduces it to 37,500, if it's paid within 30 days of the date of the order. The order won't be entered until sometime this weekend, is what we usually do. So you'll have 30 days from Saturday or Sunday to pay the 37,500," Groot said. The magistrate and Code Enforcement agreed the city would record a satisfaction of lien after full payment.

Crawford acknowledged a scrivener's error in an earlier lien schedule, clarified the lien period as Sept. 30, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024, and said the city had stopped the larger daily fine on Dec. 31 to be courteous. Aragon said she could potentially pay the reduced amount if she arranged proceeds from a sale or within a payment plan, but Crawford explained that the city will not clear title until it receives full payment and records a satisfaction of lien. Finance procedures for payment (checks, cashier's checks, wiring) were discussed but not resolved at the hearing.

The magistrate's order establishes the $70,000 total as the maximum lien amount, creates a temporary reduction to $37,500 if timely paid, and directs the city to record a satisfaction after payment. The city will issue the written order and distribute it to the parties.