Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Unsafe Structure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Magistrate orders abatement or $250/day for collapsed canopy at 700 N. Tamarind
Summary
City staff identified a partially collapsed concrete canopy at 700 North Tamarind and the magistrate ordered immediate abatement measures within 10 days or a $250-per-day fine, finding a public-safety hazard.
The City of West Palm Beach special magistrate ordered abatement or other immediate measures for an unsafe concrete canopy at 700 North Tamarind Avenue, requiring compliance within 10 days or a $250 daily fine thereafter.
Raymond Stevenson, a building/code inspector for the city, testified that half the concrete canopy had collapsed and that, when he first visited, a worker was on the roof cutting and the structure posed a danger to the public. Stevenson told the magistrate he observed the canopy collapse and described children in the nearby area when school lets out, making the condition particularly hazardous. The city asked the magistrate to authorize abatement; Stevenson and city counsel said they were prepared to seek immediate abatement if necessary.
At the hearing, the magistrate paused to clarify the specific citations being pursued. City staff identified Florida Building Code section 116.1 as the basis for an unsafe-building finding; the magistrate ruled the city had demonstrated an unsafe condition under that section and that immediate remedial measures were required. Because the record showed the structure posed a risk to public health and safety, the magistrate ordered the respondent to correct the unsafe condition within 10 days or face a $250-per-day fine until the condition was abated. The magistrate also admitted the city’s evidentiary case file, including photographs showing the collapsed section.
The city withdrew pursuit of one of the inspection-based citations pending clarification of permit status; the magistrate continued that portion and proceeded with the unsafe-structure finding. The magistrate said the decision reflected the recorded testimony from city staff and the photographic evidence in the case file. The order requires the respondent to take steps necessary to make the structure safe; if the respondent does not meet the 10-day deadline the city may pursue fines or abatement measures under the code.
