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Martin County resident urges clearer language, protections in proposed ordinance
Summary
At the Oct. 17 Martin County Physical Court meeting, Gina Patton urged officials to clarify a proposed nuisance/solid‑waste ordinance and add protections for low‑income and elderly residents, saying penalties and liens as written could impose lasting financial harm; the court agreed to produce plain‑English guidance.
Gina Patton, a member of the public, pressed the Martin County Physical Court on Oct. 17 to simplify and soften enforcement language in a proposed nuisance or solid‑waste ordinance, saying the measure as written could punish low‑income and elderly residents.
"Did any of you all read this ordinance?" Patton asked the court, telling members she stayed up until 3 a.m. reviewing the text. She cited local poverty and income figures and described an elderly relative who could not afford cleanup. Patton said the ordinance language gave an enforcement officer broad discretion and warned: "This is written in stone unless we fix it." She also read provisions she said were in section 4, including a short compliance period and monetary penalties: "You have 14 days at a hundred dollar fine not to exceed on $200 at 12% interest," she said.
Presiding official (the court's presiding speaker) responded that the stated intent of the ordinance is to address large areas that create health hazards, not to punish individuals who cannot afford compliance. "It's certainly not the spirit of the ordinance," the presiding official said, adding the court had intentionally included steps and discretion to avoid automatic enforcement against vulnerable residents.
County Attorney (the court's counsel) clarified the lien process: if the county must perform cleanup, it may place a lien for the cost, but the attorney said that is not automatic. "The cost to the county of cleaning it up, we could put a lien on your property for that amount," the attorney said, emphasizing that lien or foreclosure actions would require subsequent votes by the court and opportunities for the property owner to appear and be heard.
Court members told Patton they would prepare a plain‑language "do's and don'ts" sheet describing expected actions, timelines and the stepwise process before any citation, and said they would work with community members on distribution. Officials also noted the solid waste board has the authority to waive fines on a case‑by‑case basis.
The exchange ended without any formal changes to the ordinance; officials said the court would follow up with clarifying materials and community outreach to explain enforcement steps and appeal rights.
Next steps: court staff agreed to draft simplified guidance explaining enforcement steps, compliance timelines and appeals; no vote to alter ordinance text was recorded at the meeting.
