Magistrate orders permits, dismisses duplicate manure citation and sets compliance deadlines in Loxahatchee Groves

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES, Fla. — A special magistrate on Friday ordered property owners to obtain town receiver permits or remove manure piles and dismissed a newly filed duplicate enforcement case, following a day of contested testimony about unpermitted manure deposits and whether state agricultural protections apply.

Special Magistrate Amity Barnard ruled after hearing from town staff, the town manager and property owners that the evidence supported violations of the town's ordinance 20-12-03, which requires a permit for receiving manure. "I'm going to dismiss 26Dash32, having found that there is already a running fine," Barnard said, explaining the town already had an earlier order addressing the same deposit activity. For a separate case involving Leonardo Vega and tenants (CE26-40), Barnard found a violation and ordered respondents to obtain the required permit or remove the material by Feb. 13, 2026; she set a status and fine-assessment hearing for Feb. 18, 2026 and warned that a $250-per-day fine would begin Feb. 14 if compliance is not achieved.

Why it matters: Town officials said recent aerial photos and reports from state agencies show…