Special Magistrate cuts multiple West Palm Beach liens after owner shows progress on properties

Amity Barnard, the city’s Special Magistrate, reduced large outstanding code‑enforcement liens for several West Palm Beach parcels on July 15, citing remedial work the current owner completed and the practical difficulties of collecting decades‑old fines.

Barnard granted steep discounts after city staff laid out lien histories and the property owner, Stephanie Agladoi, described cleanup and construction work she has performed since buying the parcels in 2022. For one property with original fines totaling $321,000, Barnard reduced the lien to $16,050, payable within one year. For a second lien that totaled $221,250, the magistrate reduced the amount to $11,062.50, also payable in one year.

Why it matters: city liens can block sale or refinancing and leave vacant lots a long‑term source of neighborhood blight. The magistrate’s decision balances the city’s interest in enforcement and restitution against evidence that the new owner has brought properties into better condition and invested substantial funds to rehabilitate structures.

What happened at the hearing: City code enforcement presented case histories showing failed compliance over many years, including one property where the city had earlier demolished an unsafe structure. Donald Lattimore, the city’s code enforcement officer, said the parcel had dozens of prior cases and that demolition costs had been incurred. Richard Pazmino, a code enforcement supervisor, confirmed the city’s records and recommended a negotiated reduction in some matters.

Owner Stephanie Agladoi said she acquired the properties at surplus/tax‑deed sale and invested in cleanup and construction to stop illegal activity on the lots. She told the magistrate she had spent “hundreds of thousands” rehabilitating the sites and produced neighbor letters that said the properties were safer and cleaner since she took ownership.

Barnard described the legal framework she must follow and the factors she considered — the gravity of the original violations, the number of prior cases, the owner’s response and the public interest in bringing properties back to productive use. After weighing those factors she ordered the reduced amounts and set one‑year payment schedules, noting that lien amounts remain subject to other irreversible liens that the magistrate cannot alter.

Key figures and orders issued: • Case CE11014699 (historic lien total cited at $321,000): reduced to $16,050; payable within one year. • Case CE07040356 (historic lien total cited at $221,250): reduced to $11,062.50; payable within one year. • Additional reductions for related parcels were issued on similar terms; the magistrate incorporated demolition costs the city incurred when applicable.

What’s next: the owner must arrange payment under the schedules set by the magistrate; city staff will provide orders and follow up on implementation. If a payment plan is not met, standard collection and enforcement processes apply.