A Seminole County special magistrate hearing in January 2026 ended with reduced fines and lien releases for several property owners after county staff and respondents said violations were corrected or structures removed.

The magistrate approved the county's recommendation in the case involving Commonwealth Trust Services LLC at 460 East 6th Street, ordering the respondent to pay $99.79 in administrative costs within 30 days. The magistrate noted the $250 application fee had already been paid and said, “pay the amount of $99.79 within 30 days or the lien will revert back to $63,750.” County staff had told the hearing that compliance was verified and the case was closed on Nov. 12, 2025; the county had recommended reducing the fine to the paid $250 application fee and releasing the lien.

In a separate case at 3464 North County Road 426 in Geneva, the respondent said a contractor who was supposed to submit plans went bankrupt, delaying permits and work; the respondent ultimately demolished the damaged structure and cleared the lot. The magistrate reduced the fine to $46.32 (the county's administrative cost) and ordered payment within 30 days, warning the fine would revert to $12,250 if unpaid.

For Los Campos De America LLC at 345 Jones Avenue in Sanford, county staff summarized a history of noncompliance and multiple inspection dates, reporting $107.15 in administrative costs. The magistrate reduced the outstanding lien to $107.15, payable within 30 days, with the lien reverting to $19,715.31 if the amount is not paid.

John Martin, manager of Seminole County Code Enforcement, presented the county's summaries of each case and recommended reductions where compliance had been achieved. Respondents at multiple hearings described difficulties obtaining permits, reliance on contractors or architectural firms that did not complete filings, and decisions to demolish substandard structures as the practical route to compliance.

The magistrate read and approved a consent agenda of additional previously heard cases submitted by county staff and confirmed the next magistrate hearing for Feb. 12, 2026, at 9 a.m., then adjourned the January meeting.

The magistrate's rulings were procedural reductions or lien releases tied to payments and did not alter prior findings of noncompliance; in each reduction the magistrate set a 30-day payment deadline and specified a larger reversion amount if the reduced payment was not made within that window.