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Magistrate continues case after inspectors find converted mobile home with raw sewage and multiple safety violations at 4113 Rainforest Road
Summary
Bay County code enforcement and building inspectors found an unpermitted conversion of a mobile home at 4113 Rainforest Road into multiple rental rooms with raw sewage, missing structural supports and electrical hazards. The owner said she is trying to obtain funds; the magistrate continued the compliance hearing to June 18, 2025.
A Bay County special magistrate continued a compliance hearing concerning an unpermitted, converted mobile home at 4113 Rainforest Road after code and building inspectors described hazardous conditions including exposed sewage, unanchored additions and electrical safety problems.
The continuation to June 18, 2025, gives the property owner more time to pursue demolition permits and cleanup or to present plans for repair. Inspector Scott Thorpe and code investigator Robert Clarkson testified that the double-wide mobile home had been converted into multiple individual rental rooms without permits, and that an attached addition sat above a lift station and leaking septic piping.
Thorpe described what he found during inspections: "There's no support, footers to support. And that is all raw sewage," and said parts of the addition were being held up on 4x4s with no proper anchoring. He said there was only one electrical service for the whole structure, exposed wiring, no evidence of required weather wrap or exterior finishing on the addition, and no fire detection in added units.
Clarkson said the county received a complaint Nov. 18, 2024, alleging the mobile home had been converted into individual rooms for rent and was "unfit to live in." He and Thorpe inspected the property and introduced photographs showing interior partitions, kitchens and bathrooms added to multiple rooms, spray foam filling former window voids, and areas of rot and water intrusion.
Owner Vicky Perkins told the magistrate she has been working to remove porches and debris and "try to get a loan and bring the mobile home into compliance," adding that the mobile home remains in her ex-husband's name and that roughly $80,000 remains owed on the unit. "Repairing a mobile home is very expensive," she said.
Magistrate comments and staff testimony indicated a demolition permit covering the porches and accessory structures had been issued and reviewed, but no permit for the mobile home itself had been pulled. The magistrate and staff said the demolition permits discovered by enforcement covered only the porches and not the main mobile home, limiting what work could be done under that permit.
The magistrate ordered the respondent to pursue the required demolition and/or repair permits and to contact code enforcement with progress; if the respondent fails to comply within the period set by the order, county staff may seek authorization to abate or tear down the structure. The magistrate noted concerns about environmental hazards under the structure and asked staff to confirm that any sewer lines have been properly capped before further demolition. The matter was continued to a compliance hearing set for June 18, 2025, at 1:00 p.m.
The record includes inspector photographs and notices posted on the property; code enforcement reported it had posted notices and sent certified mail to the owner and tenants during the inspection timeline.
