Special magistrate finds 405 East Blunt Street in violation; compliance due July 14 or $25 daily fines begin

Special Magistrate Matthew Hargraves ordered the property at 405 East Blunt Street, Pensacola, held in the Loretta O. Rosado Trust, to be brought into compliance by July 14, 2025, and assessed court costs of $200, with $25-per-day fines to begin July 15 if the work is not completed.

The order follows testimony from Jason Hendricks, Code Enforcement Officer for the City of Pensacola, who presented photographs and a timeline of notices and inspections dating to April 2024 and asked the magistrate to find the property in violation. Hendricks asked the court to “find that this property located at 405 East Blunt Street, Pensacola, Florida be found in violation and order court cost. The amount of $200 is permitted in Florida statute 1 62. And if corrective actions have not been completed by 07/14/2025, that a daily fine of $25 begin to accrue on 07/15/2025.”

The magistrate found by clear and convincing evidence that violations of the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) existed at the property, specifically citing IPMC 301.3; 304.1; 304.2; 304.6; 304.7; and 304.13. In his ruling, Matthew Hargraves said the violations were undisputed and that photographs taken from the initial notice through inspections in May, June and July showed little to no remedial progress. Hargraves ordered compliance by July 14, 2025, and assessed $200 in court costs payable within 30 days; fines of $25 per day will begin July 15 if the property is not in compliance. The order may be appealed to the Circuit Court of Escambia County within 30 days.

Respondent testimony acknowledged the violations and described the owners’ efforts and financial constraints. Marlena Rosado, who identified herself as trustee of the Loretta O. Rosado Trust, said the owners had “been doing what we can with the limited resources that we have. We’ve also listed the property with the realtor, and we have also been gathering estimates for demolition. I’ve applied for the tank removal assistance program through the state.” Rosado provided written estimates for tank removal (about $17,000) and demolition (written estimates between roughly $18,000 and $20,000) and said financing is a barrier to a full roof replacement.

Attorney Jim Balick, representing the respondents, emphasized the owners’ good-faith efforts to sell or demolish the property and asked the magistrate for additional time, proposing an August 1 deadline if the court was inclined to extend. The city, through Assistant City Attorney Jeanette Richardson, objected to further delay, noting the case had been pending since April 2024 and that the respondents had previously sought a continuance on June 17.

Magistrate Hargraves said he accepted that the respondents were attempting to address the problems but concluded that the case had been pending for over a year with minimal visible progress and therefore set the July 14 compliance date with the $25 daily fines to follow. The city’s code enforcement officer was instructed as the point of contact for inspections to confirm compliance before the magistrate’s next hearing date.