Bay County magistrate affirms abatements, liens and fines across eight code-enforcement cases

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Bay County Special Magistrate Tiffany Soran on Jan. 9 accepted code-enforcement recommendations to levy abatement costs, impose fines and authorize liens for multiple properties after hearings on repeat violations, unfit or unsafe structures, overgrowth and derelict vehicles.

The cases, heard at the Bay County Government Center, covered eight properties across unincorporated Bay County. Code enforcement staff presented inspection photos, notices of intent and summaries showing persistent violations in most cases and county-contracted cleanups that brought several parcels into compliance. The magistrate repeatedly accepted staff recommendations, including recording costs and fines as liens in Bay County public records.

Why it matters: The orders authorize Bay County to recover the cost of cleanup work and to place liens on properties when owners do not address health and safety violations. The actions affect property owners’ obligations and could lead to county abatement when owners fail to act within magistrate-set time frames.

Code-enforcement presentations and outcomes

Catherine Ashman, Bay County code enforcement manager, opened the hearing on case 2302482 for 1302 Everett Avenue. Ashman summarized the long history of violations, an earlier magistrate order, an affirmed appeal by Judge William S. Henry in July 2024 and interactions with an engineer. Code enforcement reported the county contracted a cleanup at a cost of $4,846 and that reinspection on…