Royal Palm Beach special magistrate orders fines, sets compliance deadlines in Dec. 10 enforcement hearing

ROYAL PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Village of Royal Palm Beach special magistrate convened a full docket of code-enforcement hearings on Dec. 10, issuing multiple orders requiring property owners to fix violations — from vehicles parked on front lawns to unsafe pool enclosures — and setting fines or compliance deadlines where problems remain.

Special Magistrate Doug MacGibbon opened the session by explaining procedures and swearing in witnesses. Village code officers presented evidence in dozens of cases, including photographs, prior orders and ownership verification. The hearing covered typical code matters: parking on lawns or over sidewalks, disabled or untagged vehicles, overgrown vegetation, driveway and sidewalk staining, missing handicap signs in parking lots and work without permits.

Where violations persisted, magistrate MacGibbon issued compliance dates or monetary sanctions. For example, in Case No. 205-8611370 (Alejandro El Redondo), the magistrate granted a $225 fine continuing until the boat parked on a front lawn was moved into compliance. In multiple residential cases, owners were given until Jan. 1 or Jan. 29 to correct parking or vegetation issues or face daily fines (typically $25 a day).

Magistrate MacGibbon repeatedly emphasized the simple compliance path: call the village’s code officer to request an inspection after repairs are made. "When you get orders from me, there's only one portion of these orders that's in bold, and that's the one that says, if you're in trouble, you need to call for an inspection to get yourself out of trouble," he told attendees.

The hearing included fine-mitigation requests. The magistrate reduced fines in several cases where owners provided evidence of correction or compelling circumstances: Vincent Castillo’s fine was cut to $800 payable by March 11; Jose Martinez’s fine was reduced to $700 by March 11; and a commercial fine for Orion Bantry LLC was reduced to $1,005.40 by March 11. In a repeat-violation commercial truck case, the magistrate reduced a requested $600 fine to $300 and clarified short-term parking allowances for urgent family needs.

Commercial properties with larger repair needs also appeared. Representatives for properties on Okeechobee Boulevard and the Village Center described rusted or lifted concrete, dead trees requiring a vegetation-removal permit, faded parking markings and missing handicap signage; one representative said proposals to repair two lots ranged from approximately $70,000 to $150,000. For large projects that require permits, the magistrate urged early submission and set staggered compliance and status hearing dates to reflect permitting lead times.

Magistrate MacGibbon repeatedly flagged public-safety issues. "There’s only one thing in these code enforcement cases that I hate, and that’s people who leave pools open because kids die," he said, ordering immediate steps to secure an unsafe pool barrier in one case.

Several multifamily and commercial properties were given additional time because of scope or permitting complexity. For a large condominium association, the magistrate accepted progress reporting (45 driveways addressed) and set a status hearing for the next quarter while requiring prompt remediation of trash and dumpster-area problems.

Orders and fines will be mailed to the listed property owners. The magistrate adjourned the hearing at 7:50 p.m.

What's next: property owners ordered to correct violations were given specific compliance dates (most commonly Jan. 1, Jan. 29 or March 11) and were told to call code enforcement for reinspection to stop fines.