Bay County special magistrate accepts code enforcement recommendations across broad docket; deadlines set in several cases

Tiffany Serna, the magistrate presiding at Bay County’s special magistrate hearing on June 19, accepted code-enforcement recommendations in a series of cases ranging from junk-and-trash citations to orders authorizing demolition of unsafe structures.

Catherine Ashman and Tim Justice, both with Bay County code enforcement, presented investigative reports and photographs documenting recurring violations at multiple addresses across the county. The magistrate routinely authorized county staff and any contractor the county hires to enter properties to abate nuisances and to record costs as liens in public records of Bay County, Florida, as allowed under county code and the Uniform Assessment Collection Act.

The most consequential case involved a modular/mobile home at 7203 Highway 2302, where code enforcement urged demolition after a history of failed electrical, mechanical and plumbing inspections and a stop-work order. The property owner, Lucius Manning, told the magistrate he has invested in repairs and pledged to hire a licensed engineer and general contractor; the magistrate gave him 10 days to retain professionals and 20 days to file a complete permit application, saying demolition would not proceed if the requirements are met on schedule.

In other matters the magistrate also:

- Accepted an abatement and fine recommendation that will lead to a $1,999 county abatement charge and additional fines for a property at 1624 Melissa Road; the county will impose liens and wait for verification that a recreational vehicle is no longer occupied before scheduling lien imposition.

- Placed an August 1 hold on abatement work at 13410 Diablo Hill Road, where Thelma “Christie” O’Bannon appeared by phone and said she is on hospice; the magistrate directed code enforcement to coordinate with the resident’s hospice case manager.

- Found multiple properties in compliance after county-contracted cleanup (for example, 8520 Kilgore Road after a May 26 inspection) and closed those files.

The magistrate repeatedly emphasized that county permitting and plan-review steps must be complete before any building work may continue, and warned that repeated extensions will not be granted: additional extensions beyond the new deadlines will return applicants to the magistrate for review.

The hearing closed with the magistrate urging property owners to stay in touch with code enforcement and with a schedule of follow-up compliance hearings where required.