Special magistrate hears first compliance case for hurricane-damaged home tied to Deborah Ann Nifong life estate

A special magistrate for the City of Daytona Beach Shores heard a first compliance proceeding concerning a hurricane-damaged property tied to the Deborah Ann Nifong life estate and accepted the city's evidence into the record.

The city presented a chronology of inspections and communications dating to a July 2022 notice of violation, said Herstein, the city code enforcement officer who handled the case. Herstein told the magistrate that the property was found in violation at an initial hearing held in June 2024, and the owner had been given seven months — until Jan. 20, 2025 — to bring the property into compliance or face fines of $250 per day. Herstein said a reinspection on Jan. 24, 2025, found that a construction crew had begun work under four permits issued by the building department but that the property nevertheless remained noncompliant.

The magistrate accepted the documents the city provided into evidence. "Alright, then I will accept the, the information in the code enforcement magistrate's packet dealing with this case into evidence,"…