Board finds 7638 N. Miami Ave in violation, orders immediate compliance and daily fines

The board found the owner of 7638 North Miami Avenue guilty of multiple code violations and ordered immediate compliance after city witnesses described ongoing squatters, significant sanitation hazards and illegal power hookups.

Inspector Jonathan Castillo, who compiled the city’s exhibit for the case, testified that officers first responded after numerous neighborhood reports and found the duplex vacant, unregistered and full of trash. "We found them inside," Castillo said on the record. Sergeant Hiram Cabeza of the City of Miami Police Department added that officers had seen people living in both units and documented unsafe conditions, including broken windows and what he described as people showering in the backyard. "Right across the street from the property, we have a kindergarten... kids can see this constant in and out of people, sometimes even naked, coming in and out of the property and taking showers in the back of the property," Cabeza said.

City counsel asked for a finding of guilt, immediate compliance, a per‑diem fine and an irreparable-harm assessment based on the evidence presented. A board member moved that the adjudication be guilty with immediate compliance, a $1,000 per‑diem, and a larger irreparable-harm fine; that motion was seconded and approved by the board. The clerk confirmed the finding and instructed staff to prepare an order reflecting the board’s determination.

The ruling requires the property owner to come into compliance immediately; the board recorded the judgment and directed staff to issue an order that specifies the compliance deadline and the daily fine that will run if the property is not corrected. The city noted prior calls to the property and at least one arrest connected to reported activity there; the board’s action follows the city’s standard evidence-admission and posting procedures.