West Palm Beach special magistrate orders compliance deadlines, fines and reductions across dozens of property cases

The City of West Palm Beach Special Magistrate held a code-enforcement hearing Oct. 14, 2025, and found multiple properties in violation of city codes, issuing deadlines for compliance and daily fines where violations remain unresolved.

City code officers presented photographic evidence, mailing and posting records and permit statuses for each case. The magistrate admitted the city—iles into evidence and, after limited testimony from property owners or their representatives, made formal findings of fact and law in each matter. "The purpose of code enforcement is compliance, not penalties," the Special Magistrate said while explaining the time frames he set for many respondents.

Why it matters: The rulings affect property owners, tenants and adjacent residents and set timelines for repair, removal of hazards, permitting and other corrective work. Several cases the magistrate found to pose imminent public-health or safety risks were given short deadlines and, in one case, the city was authorized to abate the nuisance and assess abatement costs to the property.

Most significant actions

Votes at a glance (case number — address — violation summary — compliance deadline — fine if not complied — outcome):

- CEBLD25050764 — 25911 N. Flagler Drive — interior remodel without building permits; required inspections not completed — 90 days — $50/day — approved (violation found).

- CEBLD25080816 — 1321 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd — windows/doors installed without permits; fence moved into easement — 60 days — $75/day — approved.

- CEBLD25080801 — 1440 Ninth Street — replacement of doors/windows and new fence without required permits/inspections — 75 days — $75/day — approved.

- CEBLD24120676 — 53820 First Street — unpermitted sewer work/exposed connections (plumbing) — 30 days (permit issued; work must be completed/inspected) — $50/day — approved.

- CEBLD25060779 — 53820 First Street (separate fence case) — fence installed without permit; permit applied for but not issued/picked up — 30 days — $50/day — approved.

- CE25094057 — 1420 Thirteenth Street — property overgrowth, trash, landscape and maintenance violations — 90 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25083989 — 1813 North Tamaron/Tamarin Avenue — multiple exterior and business-license violations at a commercial storefront; owner requested extra time due to eviction process — 120 days (magistrate granted) — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094041 — 2420 S. Dixie Hwy — damaged wall adjacent to right-of-way; city sought repair — 60 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094052 — 25309 Barcelona Road — exterior structural wall gaps and needed repairs — 60 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25084024 — 19316/316 Gulf Road — property cited for outdoor storage, parking surface and landscaping; magistrate bifurcated relief: 30 days for clean/sanitary and outdoor storage; 120 days for paved parking requirement — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094027 — 314 Gulf Road — landscaping and parking (non-dusted/gravel surface) — 120 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094049 — 72840 Sixth Street — landscape holes and outdoor storage — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25084022 — 4302 N. Terrace Drive — overgrowth, parking on unpaved surface, abandoned vehicle and related violations — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25084004 — 80630 Ninth Street — overgrowth/edging, missing address numbers and paint/maintenance around entryway — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094102 — 5701 Georgia Avenue — property severely overgrown; special finding that conditions constitute habitat for vermin; city authorized abatement and assessment of abatement costs if not corrected — 15 days to comply or abatement — approved (abatement authorized).

- CE25083928 — 1206 Clematis Street — unpermitted window signage — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094054 — 42840 Third Street — improper screening/restricted-vehicle screening (boat/vehicle used as screen) — 90 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25083981 — 1108 Eighteenth Street — unpermitted vehicles/landscaping (areas with missing grass) — 60 days — $50/day — approved.

- CE25094115 — 1012 Thirteenth Street — trash/debris on vacant lot — 15 days — $50/day — approved.

- CE25083996 — 263930 Second Street — pest-extermination and in-unit repairs (washing machine/structure issues) — 30 days for repairs/extermination — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094031 — 22540 Eighth Street — hedges and overgrowth obstructing the right-of-way — 30 days — $50/day — approved.

- CE25083967 — 262715 S. Olive Ave — driveway repair to approved surface and required address numbers — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25073900 — 27327 Albemarle Road — dirty sidewalks/driveway (black residue) — 30 days — $100/day — approved.

- CE25094041 (separate entry) and other similar matters were decided with the deadlines above; the magistrate entered findings and admitted city exhibits in each case.

Multi-case settlements and lien reductions (other matters session)

In a later "other matters" session, the magistrate approved negotiated reductions or payment schedules for multiple longstanding liens tied to unpaid civil fines. Those orders reduced large accrued liens in exchange for lump sums or payment timelines; each order explicitly stated that failure to pay within the agreed period would restore the original lien amount. Examples included:

- KCE18080488 (4837 Ridgewood Drive): reduced from $102,400 to $12,800 payable in 60 days.

- KCE19080108 (3842/640 Seventh Street): reduced from $42,400 to $5,300 payable in 30 days.

- CE20090362 (411 Macy Street; earlier case): reduced from $4,050 to $506.25 payable in 30 days.

- Multiple rental-license/certificate-of-use liens at Macy Street, Valley Forge Road and other addresses were reduced to negotiated amounts with 30- to 90-day payment terms; unpaid amounts revert to the original liens if not paid on schedule.

Who spoke and roles cited in the hearing

The hearing record shows testimony and evidence from city code enforcement staff and building/plumbing inspectors and limited testimony from property owners or their representatives. Relevant speakers (first reference shown): Special Magistrate (called meeting to order at 12:06 p.m.; multiple rulings), Richard Burnell (Chief Building Inspector — first case at 25911 N. Flagler Drive), Kevin Pennington (Building Inspector), Ryan Brown (Chief Plumbing Inspector — First Street/53820 cases), KT Weaver (Court officer K.T. Weaver — 1420 Thirteenth Street), Donald Lattimore (Code Enforcement Officer), Rafael Clemente (executive director, Coleman Park 2 LLC / Palm Beach Venture Philanthropy), Robert Corbello (owner representative), Tony Abasala/Apostolic (code officer), Mark Joyce (Code Operations Administrator), John Scalia (realtor/agent representing multiple owners during lien-reduction session), Boris Gutin (property owner), Joel Barrett (property manager), Daryl and Taylor Thomas (new owner representatives), Hua Young/Mister Yang (respondent for multiple First Street cases), Anthony Jackson (son/representative for property owner Vira Haynes), and others who appeared to contest or acknowledge evidence.

What the decisions require

Across the cases, the magistrate consistently: admitted the city's composite exhibits (photographs, mailing/posting affidavits and permit records); found notices sufficient; declared violations of cited West Palm Beach code sections; and set compliance periods ranging from 15 to 120 days depending on the severity and complexity of the corrective work. For unresolved public-health hazards (overgrowth constituting vermin habitat), the magistrate explicitly authorized city abatement and assessment of abatement costs against the property if owners failed to act within the specified time.

A few respondents told the magistrate they had applied for permits or had communications with inspectors; in those cases the magistrate typically gave shorter deadlines if a permit had been issued (for example, the sewer repair where a permit was already issued, CEBLD24120676: 30 days).

Ending

The magistrate closed the contested portion of the agenda after issuing the orders and then conducted the "other matters" session to approve negotiated lien reductions and payment schedules. Property owners and representatives should review each order for specific compliance dates and payment instructions; the magistrate repeatedly noted that unpaid negotiated payments will restore the original lien amounts. "My basic role is: is there a violation on the property? If there is, can I give a time period to come into compliance?" the Special Magistrate said while instructing respondents to contact the assigned code officer for next steps.

(For a complete list of individual cases, findings and deadlines, see the Votes at a glance and the actions record appended to this article.)