Fort Pierce special magistrate orders property owners to abate nuisances, sets fines and deadlines

Special Magistrate Jamie Borreault on Aug. 13, 2025, found nuisance violations at multiple Fort Pierce properties and ordered owners to bring their properties into compliance within deadlines ranging from seven to 14 days. The magistrate warned owners that failure to comply would result in daily fines (typically $100 per day) and that the city could abate conditions and assess abatement costs against the properties.

The rulings came during a special magistrate hearing in Fort Pierce where city code officers presented notices of violation, photographs and inspection dates for properties cited for nonoperative vehicles, overgrown lots and failed landscaping. The city cited owners under the city code’s nuisance provisions (Section 24-19) and described standard notice procedures, including notices to appear and property postings.

The most immediate order affected a vehicle at 1812 South 20 Seventh Street. City code officer Charmaine Kirkland presented case NOOP2025-185, identifying the violation as a nonoperative vehicle. Borreault found a nuisance and ordered the owner — listed in the file as Katrina A. McGaffey — to ensure “the white Jeep Grand Cherokee is safely and legally operable on the roadway” within seven days. The magistrate said failure to comply would allow the city to tow the vehicle and pursue…