Board clears two long-standing code enforcement liens after staff miscalculation

The Nassau County Board of County Commissioners voted 5-0 on Feb. 10 to approve staff recommendations to reduce and release two long-standing code enforcement liens after staff acknowledged calculation errors dating back to 2005 and 2006.

County code enforcement staff told the board both liens arose from trash, litter and debris citations that were brought into compliance within days or weeks in 2005 and 2006. In a staff presentation, the county said an error occurred in fall 2023 when letters sent to property owners omitted the outstanding fine amounts and only listed administrative fees; property owners who responded believed they had paid in full.

Details on the cases: the first case (Tab F) concerns code enforcement lien number CE07-53136198, a Wedgewood Way, Callahan address with a fine originally assessed at $850 for violations starting Nov. 14, 2006; the property was brought into compliance by Nov. 30, 2006, roughly 17 days later. The second case (Tab G) concerns lien number CE05-47085022 at a Puno Creek Road address in Eulley with a fine of $1,450 arising from a citation dated June 14, 2005; that violation was brought into compliance July 12, 2005, 29 days later.

A county staff member said the two property owners were told in error in 2023 that only administrative fees remained, leading them to pay an admin fee but not the full fine. "An error occurred in the fall of 2023 in the calculation when they sent these letters out," the staff presentation said. "Those two parties that were interested in clearing up their liens were mistakenly told that they just needed to be paid their admin fees. So the fine amount was not included. They believed that they had paid in full for their lien, but had only paid the admin fee."

Commissioner Gray moved to accept staff's recommendation to clear the 19-year-old case, and Commissioner Martin seconded the motion for Tab F. Commissioner Gray then moved approval of Tab G, and Commissioner Farmer seconded. Commissioner Farmer said he supported reducing the liens to administrative costs because "it is obviously a staff error" and because of the age of the liens. Each motion passed with a recorded vote of 5 ayes and 0 nays.

Why it matters: Clearing long-dormant liens can remove clouds on property titles and resolve confusion for property owners who believed they had already paid. The county recorded the original violation dates and the compliance dates on the record; staff attributed the matter to an internal miscalculation and asked the board to follow its recommendation to reduce outstanding amounts to administrative fees and release the liens.

The board instructed staff to proceed with lien releases consistent with the approved motions; no further legal actions or appeals were recorded during the meeting.