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West Palm Beach special magistrate hears dozens of code‑enforcement cases; most respondents given time to comply
Summary
At a May 6, 2026 Special Magistrate hearing, Magistrate Amity Bernard ordered compliance deadlines or daily fines for more than 30 properties across West Palm Beach for issues including unpermitted work, landscaping and rental‑license lapses; several large lien reductions were also granted or continued.
Amity Bernard, the special magistrate for the City of West Palm Beach, convened a code‑enforcement hearing on May 6, 2026 that covered more than 30 separate matters ranging from unpermitted construction to missing grass in parkways and delinquent business tax receipts.
The city presented each case with photographs and notice documentation before property owners or their representatives spoke. For routine property maintenance and landscaping violations—missing sod in swales, overgrowth, paint, and address numbers—the magistrate typically granted 30–120 days for compliance and set daily fines to begin after the compliance period (commonly $50–$100/day). For example, the magistrate ordered 90 days for compliance at 5800 Tuscaloosa Street or a $50/day fine thereafter; 120 days were granted to the owners of 939 34th Street for missing sod and paint; and 30 days were set for a swale/parkway issue at 1369 7th Street pending a reinspection.
Several rental‑license and certificate‑of‑use matters were continued so inspections could be completed. At 6285 (unit) the respondent reported the rental license application was pending; Bernard gave 60 days for final inspections and completion. For parking‑lot repaving across contiguous parcels on 24th Street, the magistrate accepted the city’s recommendation of 120 days to allow permitting and coordination with tenants.
City officers also reported routine dismissals or findings of compliance when evidence showed prompt correction: a vacant lot used as event parking was removed from the agenda after the city confirmed vehicles were cleared the day after a notice. The magistrate repeatedly emphasized that fines generally do not start until the compliance window ends and urged property owners to keep close contact with code officers to schedule reinspections.
On procedural items and evidence the magistrate routinely entered city case files, affidavits of posting and photographic exhibits into the record after respondents confirmed no objection. The hearing concluded with smaller lien reductions and several large lien matters handled separately (see separate article on lien reductions). The magistrate adjourned the hearing at 1:30 p.m.
The hearing was focused on compliance and remediation rather than punitive outcomes; in multiple cases the magistrate reduced fines when owners showed corrective steps or documented hardship but warned that repeat noncompliance would be treated less leniently.
What happens next: respondents were instructed to contact their assigned code officer for reinspections after completing work; several large lien cases received payment schedules or were continued for additional legal review.
