Ocala magistrate grants extensions, trims fines to clear redevelopment hurdles
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Summary
Magistrate Ryan Fong on Jan. 28 approved targeted compliance extensions, reduced fines in consolidated petitions to allow property sales and redevelopment, and adopted staff recommendations in multiple code-enforcement cases, while ordering administrative costs where incurred.
Ocala Special Magistrate Ryan Fong on Jan. 28 granted a series of targeted extensions and approved reductions in assessed fines across several code-enforcement cases to allow property owners time to comply or complete transactions tied to redevelopment.
The actions included a 30-day extension for multiple vacant commercial parcels owned by Rock Hospitality Partners 22 LLC — extending the compliance deadline to Feb. 26 to permit site-plan review and permitting — and an extension to Feb. 27 for a vacant-lot case involving Carlton McDonald, who told the magistrate he needs time because of limited mobility and an eye surgery scheduled for Feb. 10. Dale Hollingsworth, the city's chief code official, told the magistrate, "I think it's appropriate to grant an extension another 30 days to February 26" to give owners time to finalize permitting and corrective work.
Staff also combined two petitioned cases where previously assessed fines totaled $12,950 and recommended reducing the fine liability to $2,000 while recovering hard costs of $1,016.58, for a proposed total of $3,016.58 to avoid blocking a sale. Magistrate Fong approved the reduction, saying he would "approve that reduction" as presented by staff.
In several other matters the magistrate adopted staff recommendations to find respondents in violation where evidence supported it, ordered corrective actions, and required repayment of administrative costs. For one category of corrected violations, the magistrate ordered administrative costs of $308.97 that staff had documented. Where respondents complied before the hearing, the magistrate issued guilty findings for the prior violation but limited remedies to maintain compliance moving forward.
City staff told the magistrate they will mail copies of the written orders with specific compliance deadlines, costs, and the consequences should respondents fail to comply (abatement, additional charges, and accrual of fines). The hearing record shows the city will revisit any items still out of compliance at the stated deadlines. The special magistrate hearing adjourned at 11:18 a.m.
