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Ocoee to consider replacing Code Enforcement Board with special magistrate; second reading set for April 7
Summary
The Ocoee City Commission gave a first reading to an ordinance that would abolish the city’s Code Enforcement Board and shift residential enforcement to an appointed special magistrate; board chair Joseph Bander asked commissioners to meet before final action and the city manager acknowledged unclear communication in a letter to the board.
The Ocoee City Commission held a first reading on March 3 of an ordinance to create an office of special magistrate to hear code-enforcement cases and to abolish the city’s Code Enforcement Board pending a second reading and public hearing on April 7.
The ordinance, as read by staff, would reassign pending cases and the enforcement powers of the current Code Enforcement Board to a special magistrate, set administrative fine procedures and appeal rights, and establish a code enforcement recovery fund. City manager remarks during the meeting said the commission had directed staff to return with ordinance changes to strengthen enforcement.
Joseph Bander, chair of the Code Enforcement Board, used the public-comment period to urge a meeting with commissioners before the board’s removal is finalized, saying he wanted to “clear up any misconceptions” and meet with staff and elected leaders. “I would strongly suggest that we sit down and have a conversation before a final resolution is made,” Bander said.
The city manager responded during the meeting, saying he accepted responsibility for unclear wording in a letter sent to the board and that the letter “violated no statutes, codes, or the charter.” He said he regretted not communicating the process more sensitively and that a staff memo would be shared in advance of the April public hearing to advise board members and the public.
Commissioners indicated they want tougher enforcement in some residential cases. Several members described a desire to move away from repeated, unaddressed violations and toward a system with clearer penalties. No final vote was taken during the March 3 meeting; the ordinance will return for a second reading and an April 7 public hearing.
The meeting also included routine business: the consent agenda carried unanimously after a brief technical delay in recording votes, and the commission approved its annual liaison assignments to advisory boards. Commissioner Wilson moved the consent agenda and Commissioner Kennedy seconded; the votes were recorded as unanimous on the record.
Next steps: the ordinance will be read and formally considered at a second reading and public hearing on April 7, when commissioners may vote to adopt the changes or amend the proposal.
