Royal Palm Beach magistrate orders fines, sets compliance dates and reduces one historical assessment

Special Magistrate Doug Mac opened the Village of Royal Palm Beach hearing on Jan. 14 and heard evidence in a long docket of code-enforcement and fine-mitigation cases.

The hearing covered permit disputes, commercial property maintenance, disabled vehicles and requests to reduce previously assessed fines. Village staff entered prior orders, ownership verification and dated photos into the record. Magistrate Mac repeatedly directed respondents to obtain permits where work had been done without approval and to call code enforcement once corrections were complete so an inspector could file an affidavit of compliance.

Why it matters: the magistrate used a mix of continuances and daily fines to push lagging compliance while allowing limited time for permit issuance or targeted repairs. For one longstanding mitigation request, the hearing produced a major monetary reduction.

Key outcomes

- Case 21‑0519 (Luis Camejo): After contested photo evidence and testimony from the respondent’s attorney, the magistrate reduced the assessed fine in that case from $26,755 to $2,675.50, payable…