Martin County magistrate orders multiple property cleanups, sets April 30 deadlines and assesses costs

The Martin County Code Enforcement Magistrate convened on March 18, 2026 and reviewed a docket of property enforcement matters, issuing orders that require several owners to clear nuisance conditions and reimburse county investigation costs.

County investigators presented photographic evidence and notices of violation in a series of cases involving trash and debris, high grass, inoperable trailers/boats and deteriorated structures. In each enforcement case the county requested (and the magistrate largely granted) orders requiring property owners to come into compliance by April 30, 2026, with daily fines of $100 per violation to begin accruing after that date and administrative investigation costs of $575 charged to the respondent.

In the case against Michael A. Valente (ENF20206010372) regarding 8868 Southeast Hobbridge Avenue in Hobe Sound, nuisance abatement coordinator Rachel Sprdley presented photographs and a notice of violation documenting trash and cooking appliances in the front yard on inspections from January and March 2026. Valente told the magistrate he and his disabled brother had struggled to keep the property cleared, said several items in the early photographs had been removed by Feb. 17, and submitted his own recent photos showing cleanup. The magistrate admitted both parties’ exhibits, found violations had existed at inspection times, ordered compliance by April 30, 2026, and awarded the county $575 in investigative costs.

In a contested matter involving Richard S. Misler and Luciana M. Misler (ENF2025120457), investigator Michael Shanahan testified that inspections beginning Dec. 23, 2025, showed debris, inoperable trailers or boats in the right-of-way, and high grass. Misler disputed aspects of the county’s characterization—saying several trailers were registered and operable and explaining that he is often away fishing over the winter season—but acknowledged remaining trash and agreed to cure the cited violations. The magistrate accepted county exhibits 1–20, found three violations (inoperable vehicle/trailer, weeds/undergrowth, and trash), ordered compliance by April 30, 2026, and assessed $575 in costs.

Oki’s Place LLC (ENF202510000769), a commercial property at 11400 SE Federal Highway, was the subject of testimony by investigator Michael Humphrey. Humphrey said a recent sale and a follow-up inspection showed the rear of the property still had trash and overgrowth; trustee/owner Richard O’Connell told the magistrate he is staging insulated metal panels on site for a planned walk-in cooler and acknowledged a missed gate closure at the dumpster. The magistrate accepted the exhibits, ordered compliance by April 30, 2026, and awarded $575 to the county in costs.

Other cases in which the magistrate found violations and ordered compliance by April 30 (with $575 costs ordered or noted) included a structures/fence repair case where the owner did not appear (CNF2025110125, 701 SW San Antonio Drive) and the Espazito property (ENF2025120598-01) where the investigator documented a garden hose and electrical cord running across the ground, openable windows in disrepair, high grass and trash; the resident declined offered county assistance but the magistrate nevertheless ordered compliance.

The magistrate also approved several stipulations that set later compliance dates or reduced liens: the Owenbrink case (ENF2025110539) and the Keller matter (ENF202520406) each entered agreed orders requiring compliance by June 18, 2026 and payment of administrative sums ($350 in each stipulation); staff also presented and the magistrate approved lien/fine-reduction agreements in other matters (including a payment of $5,625 to resolve a previously recorded lien on a property sold to a new owner). In each stipulation the magistrate signed and entered the agreed order on the record.

What happens next: Most respondents were ordered to request re-inspection through the code enforcement office and to bring properties into compliance on or before April 30, 2026; the magistrate warned that fines of $100 per violation per day would begin accruing thereafter. Several stipulations set alternative compliance schedules (notably June 18 for two older-owner cases), and the county will collect the $575 investigation cost in cases where it was awarded. The magistrate scheduled the next hearing for April 15, 2026.

Key quotes from the hearing: "I am going to find that at the time violations did exist on the property ... and order you to comply by April 30th," the magistrate said after reviewing the Valente exhibits. "The county has been very fair with me ... I've been dealing with some issues ... I live with a disabled brother," Michael Valente said, explaining cleanup efforts and personal constraints. "If the trailer has flat tires or is missing a tire, then it's an inoperable vehicle," investigator Michael Shanahan said while explaining the basis for inoperable-vehicle citations in the Misler matter.

The hearing record includes photographs and notices for each cited property; respondents seeking confirmation of compliance must contact Martin County Code Enforcement to schedule re-inspection as specified in the issued orders.