A special magistrate on Jan. 8 ordered Venice property owner Arthur McCaffrey to correct code violations at two adjacent properties, 713 and 717 Groveland Avenue, or face daily fines and possible demolition by the city.

The magistrate found McCaffrey in violation of the city’s building regulations after City of Venice code enforcement officers presented photographs and testimony showing dilapidated accessory structures, roof holes, wood rot and walls that have shifted. The magistrate said the owner must apply for and obtain permits to repair the structures, or obtain permits to demolish them, by the magistrate’s deadline and that compliance will be reviewed at a special hearing on March 5, 2025.

Why this matters: The orders give McCaffrey a limited period to start formal repairs or demolition and put him at risk of fines if the violations persist. Building inspectors testified the structures are unsafe and could fail, raising possible public-safety and liability concerns for the neighborhood.

Officer Willie Acosta, a community resource officer and certified code-enforcement officer, told the magistrate he inspected the properties beginning July 23, 2024, and returned with the building official on Aug. 27, 2024. Acosta entered composite photographic evidence into the record showing open holes in the rear roofs, water damage and wood rot.

"The property was observed the following violations: offensive accumulation on a property, and [a] zoning district violation of the property for property maintenance," Acosta said while presenting photographs of the rear garage and front yard.

Building official Derek Applegate testified that the rear carport/garage at 717 has been modified over time, contains materials and attachments that are not structurally tied together, and that the carport portion is "structurally unsound." Applegate said an engineer’s drawings and a permitted scope of work would be required to bring that structure into compliance.

McCaffrey disputed parts of the city’s history of prior complaints but acknowledged the photographs as accurate depictions of current conditions. He told the magistrate he has been trying to secure contractors since the 2022 hurricanes and that insurance claims are pending. "I guarantee and promise I'm going to fix that garage," McCaffrey said, describing difficulty finding crews amid high demand.

The magistrate acknowledged natural-disaster damage but ruled that local code requirements still obligate the owner to bring the properties into compliance. For the case tied to 713 Groveland the magistrate ordered McCaffrey to apply for and obtain a permit for repairs by the required deadline and set a compliance hearing for March 5, 2025; the magistrate said a fine of up to $250 per day may be imposed for each day a violation continues beyond the deadline. For 717 Groveland the magistrate gave the owner until March 4, 2025 to either demolish the structure or obtain a permit to make repairs; that case will also be reviewed at the March 5 hearing and may incur fines of up to $250 per day if not corrected.

The magistrate closed by emphasizing that while the city recognizes hurricane-related contractor shortages, the owner has had multiple months since the initial inspections to pursue permits or begin corrective work.

The two matters will return to the special-magistrate docket on March 5, 2025, at 10 a.m. for determination of compliance and possible fines.