Pensacola magistrate finds multiple properties in violation; permits required or fines to start

Special Magistrate Matthew Hargraves presiding at the City of Pensacola Code Enforcement Authority hearing on Feb. 11, 2025, found multiple properties in violation of the Pensacola municipal code for performing work without required permits and set compliance deadlines with daily fines for noncompliance.

The magistrate ordered owners of several properties to obtain the required building permits by specific dates or face daily fines of $25. The most immediate deadlines are Feb. 24, 2025, for two South N Street units and Feb. 24, 2025, or March 10, 2025, for others, with fines commencing the day after each deadline. One property, 111 South N Street, was dismissed from violation after a permit was produced at the hearing.

Why it matters: Code-enforcement findings carry financial and administrative consequences for property owners and can lead to continuing daily penalties until corrective action is documented. The rulings affect multiple small rental or residential units in Pensacola and illustrate the enforcement timeline and the city's reliance on permit records and certified-service notices.

Deputy Building Official Robbie Weekley presented evidence that stop-work orders were placed in June and July 2024 for unpermitted installation of mini-split HVAC systems and structural or enclosure work at several addresses, and he cited the Florida Building Code section 105.1, Florida Statute 553.791(a), and Pensacola Municipal Code section 12-11-5 as the basis for requiring permits. Weekley told the magistrate that inspectors photographed the work and that notices of violation and notices of hearing had been mailed or posted.

On the record, Special Magistrate Matthew Hargraves said, "I do have to find that…