Bay County magistrate orders cleanups, fines and liens in multiple code-enforcement cases

A Bay County special magistrate ordered several property owners on May 14, 2025, to correct code violations — including unsafe mobile homes, derelict vehicles, trash and unpermitted structures — and imposed fines or liens where owners failed to comply.

The orders followed testimony from Bay County code-enforcement investigators and building-inspection staff and included deadlines to obtain building or demolition permits, removal of debris and, in some cases, county abatement with recorded liens for recovery of costs.

Investigators described hurricane damage, collapsed underlayment and exposed interior framing at 12503 Silver Lake Road in Fountain. Raymond Scott, a Bay County code-enforcement investigator, and Inspector Thorpe testified the single-wide mobile home was “unfit and unsafe,” with nonpermitted accessories, missing exterior finish and water intrusion. The magistrate found a violation of Bay County Code chapter 17 and gave the owner 30 days to either complete required repairs under an approved building-permit plan or obtain a demolition permit. The order warns that failure to comply will trigger a $100 fine and that any assessed fine will become a lien on the respondent’s real and personal property in Bay County.

At 2338 East 30 Fourth Place, inspectors said the primary structure’s roof had been repaired but an accessory shed remained damaged from a hurricane and contained debris. Inspector Thorpe reported the owner applied for a demolition permit for the accessory but the permit had expired; the owner said he planned to demolish…