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Magistrate authorizes abatement, lien option after condo owner declines free bed‑bug treatment
Summary
In Case 26‑33 the magistrate found a code violation for a bed‑bug infestation at a Cocoa Isles condo unit, authorized city abatement and the option to place a special assessment lien for costs after the owner declined offered free professional treatment.
The Cocoa Beach special magistrate found code violations at Unit 19, 1800 Minuteman Causeway, in Case 26‑33 and authorized all available city remedies — including abatement and the possibility of a special assessment lien — after the owner declined an offer of no‑cost professional treatment.
City staff and the Cocoa Isles HOA submitted photographs and a treatment estimate indicating an ongoing bed‑bug infestation. Community paramedics and a volunteer offered to provide a dumpster and pay for professional treatments so the owner would not have to pay out of pocket; the owner declined, stating she would not remove possessions or find alternative housing for two weeks of treatment.
The magistrate said the city could pursue remedies permitted under the code, including abatement of the infestation and assessing the abatement costs as a special assessment lien on the property if the city performed the work. The order authorizes the city to pursue those steps and to seek any additional remedies allowed by law should voluntary compliance not occur.
The written order will describe the remedies and any next procedural steps; the record reflects the owner received notice of the hearing and did not appear.
