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Magistrate orders Bimini Properties to obtain city business tax receipt; gives 60 days amid permit and county delays
Summary
Inspector told the magistrate that the vegan restaurant at 13343 NW 7th Ave operated without a City of North Miami business tax receipt since Sept. 30, 2023; the property owner said county MU number changes and delayed inspections blocked finalization. Magistrate entered an adjudication with a 60‑day abatement and $250 daily fine if not resolved.
A City of North Miami special magistrate on May 20, 2025, found that the restaurant operating at 13343 Northwest Seventh Avenue (Bimini Properties LLC/I Stronga) was operating without the required City of North Miami business tax receipt and entered an adjudication requiring the owner to obtain the city documents within 60 days, with a daily fine to be imposed if the abatement date is missed.
Neighborhood service inspector Shanna Sanders told the magistrate she first opened a case in May 2023 for a business operating without a local business tax receipt and later re‑inspections showed the restaurant remained open without the city's local business tax receipt or certificate of use. Owner representative Barry (surname transcribed as Sheplin) said the business had a Miami‑Dade County local business tax receipt that expired Sept. 30, 2023; subsequent attempts to obtain a new county MU number and inspection approvals were delayed while the owner installed a new grease trap and worked with county (Durham) and WASA officials. Barry told the magistrate he spent significant sums to install a grease trap and had provided a large packet of supporting documents to the city and county.
Barry said the sequence was: the county expired the original MU number, the restaurant installed a new grease trap (he cited costs and multiple plan revisions), the final city inspection occurred Sept. 16, 2024, and the county issued a new MU number (MU24009925) after additional submissions; he asserted Durham approved the application and WASA approval remained pending. Inspector Sanders said the city record did not show a completed city business tax receipt on file, and the zoning coordinator reported no process number present in the city’s system for the later submissions.
Special Magistrate Beatrice Kezzo found the property in violation of city code for operating without a city business tax receipt and entered an adjudication. Kezzo provided a 60‑day abatement date for the owner to obtain the city certificate of use/business tax receipt; she warned that failure to meet the abatement date would trigger a daily fine in the amount previously stated on the record (city enforcement template: $250 per day). The magistrate told the owner the city has been working with him, but the business had been operating without required city authorization since 2023 and the court’s finding favored the city.
Clarifying details on the record included: the owner reported paying for two separate city applications ($250 and $125) and submitting a large packet of documentation that includes proof of payment, a county certificate of use application, grease‑trap installation plans and a Durham approval that the owner said was received the day before the hearing. The magistrate allowed the adjudication to stand with a 60‑day abatement and the stated daily fine on the record if the violation is not resolved by the abatement date.
Magistrate action: adjudication entered; 60‑day abatement; daily fine amount to be assessed per adjudication process if noncompliant (amount on the record $250/day).
