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Special magistrate issues compliance deadlines, daily fines and lien reductions in Aug. 6 docket
Summary
The magistrate set deadlines ranging from 15 to 120 days and approved daily fines for noncompliance across many West Palm Beach properties. The docket also included several lien-reduction agreements the magistrate ratified with payment timelines.
The City of West Palm Beach Special Magistrate hearing on Aug. 6 produced a large number of routine enforcement orders: dozens of property owners were given specific compliance windows (commonly 30, 45, 60 or 120 days) to correct code violations — typically landscaping/sod, removal of outdoor storage, failure to secure building permits, fencing and business/rental licensing — with daily fines to begin if the deadlines were not met.
Examples from the hearing:
- 29804 Selkirk Street (case CE25063737): City requested 60 days to comply on landscaping (Section 94-482(a)); representative asked for 60 days and the magistrate granted 60 days; $100/day thereafter.
- 804 Selkirk Street (owner Domaris Bacalliao; case CE25063737): City recommended 60 days for sod/landscaping; magistrate granted 60 days and instructed owner to coordinate with the code officer for inspection.
- 301309 South Terrace Drive and other single-property matters: magistrate routinely granted staggered compliance windows (15–120 days) depending on the property's circumstances, probate timelines and the degree of work needed.
- Numerous properties with landscaping and swale/paver violations (e.g., Westview Avenue, Greenwood Avenue, Selkirk Street series, Eighth Street addresses): most were given 30–60 days to cure; some were given 120 days where demolition, tree‑alteration permits or owner absence overseas created delays.
The docket concluded with lien hearings. The magistrate ratified negotiated reductions for several older fines after counsel for petitioners and city staff reached agreements:
- 41920 Sixth Street (CE22030508): lien reduced and entry ordered for $15,000, payable within 30 days. - 34625 Forest Hill Boulevard (CE22110045): agreement to settle at $10,000, 30 days to pay. - 815 Forest Hill Boulevard: agreed settlement for $10,000, 30 days to pay. - 64450 Third Street (two separate cases): reduced to $5,360 and $4,270 respectively; each due in 30 days. - 900 Twentieth Street (CE20200279): reduced to $5,000, 30 days.
The magistrate repeatedly urged respondents to stay in contact with assigned code officers and noted that when estates, probate or active building permits were in process, he sought to avoid setting respondents up for failure by allowing additional time when justified.
Readers seeking the status of a particular address should consult the City of West Palm Beach Code Compliance case records or contact the assigned code officer listed in the city's case file.
