Fort Pierce special magistrate cuts $24,530 fine to $1,000, sets compliance deadlines for multiple properties

Special Magistrate Jamie Barrow on July 16 reduced a $24,530 code-enforcement balance for Stately Dolphin LLC at 1117 Orange Avenue to $1,000 and gave the owner 14 days to pay or face reinstatement of the original amount. The hearing also produced compliance orders for properties at 120 North Twelfth Street, 1005 Texas Court, 1217 Texas Court and 608 Cedar Place, and several cases were continued to the magistrate's next hearing on Aug. 20, 2025.

The reduction was granted after the city presented photographs showing the property at 1117 Orange Avenue had been brought into compliance and the respondent, represented by attorney Michael Yates, said the owner wants to demolish the structure. "I'll allow the reduction to a thousand dollars," Barrow said after hearing from city staff and the respondent. Barrow set a 14-day payment deadline and said the original $24,530 balance would become due if the settlement was not paid in time.

Why it matters: Fort Pierce's special magistrate enforces city code and can assess daily fines and order abatement; the hearing affected multiple residential properties and imposed short compliance windows that can lead to substantial cumulative fines if not met.

The hearing — City of Fort Pierce code enforcement staff, including Heather De Bevec and officer Jarvis Gamble, presented evidence and photographs in each matter. Barrow read the relevant code sections aloud in several cases and…