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Magistrate finds mobile home at 8613 Houston St. unfit, orders owner to repair or demolish within 30 days
Summary
Bay County Special Magistrate Tiffany Sarto accepted code enforcement's recommendation that the single-wide mobile home at 8613 Houston Street be declared unfit and unsafe and ordered the owner to obtain a demolition permit or submit repair plans within 30 days; failure to comply will trigger a $1,000 fine and lien.
Magistrate Tiffany Sarto accepted Bay County code enforcement's recommendation on Sept. 18 that the single-wide mobile home at 8613 Houston Street, in the unincorporated Panama City Beach area, be declared an unfit and unsafe structure and be brought into compliance within 30 days.
The magistrate's order follows testimony from Bay County Code Enforcement Manager Catherine Ashman and Investigator Tony Burning, and an inspection report by Building Inspector Scott Thorpe. Inspectors introduced photographs showing severe roof damage patched with mixed sheets of metal, tarping over roof sections, bowed and buckling exterior walls, missing porch railings and rotten decking, and unspecified appliances and other on-site personal property. Thorpe testified the structure has a foot-and-a-half deflection in the roof and water intrusion that has caused structural deterioration.
Code enforcement recommended two compliance paths: apply for and obtain a demolition permit and remove all debris, or submit a complete building-permit application and structural documentation (manufacturer specifications or engineering plans) and complete all required repairs and inspections. The order requires that repairs use materials and designs equivalent to the original construction and that any person performing electrical or plumbing repairs be a designated person as referenced in Florida statute text provided in the case file. The magistrate also directed the respondent to notify code enforcement of progress or delays.
The order sets a 30-day compliance deadline from the effective date. If the respondent fails to comply within that time, a $1,000 fine will be imposed; that fine will become a lien on the respondent's real and personal property in Bay County. The case is scheduled for a compliance hearing Nov. 20, 2025, at 1 p.m.
A man who said he was managing the property on the owner's behalf told the magistrate he does not live in the recreational vehicle at the site and that he has been performing repair work while awaiting direction from the owner's son. He disputed some of the photographic evidence and said he would bring additional pictures to the compliance hearing. Magistrate Sarto noted those photos could be presented at the Nov. 20 hearing but accepted the enforcement recommendation at this time.
The order also notes that one derelict vehicle may remain on the property only if a repaired, structurally sound primary structure remains; otherwise all vehicles must be removed or stored in an enclosed structure.
Magistrate Sarto's ruling is an administrative enforcement order under Bay County Code; the order specifies permit and inspection requirements and sets out the lien and fine mechanics if the respondent does not comply.
