The Fort Pierce Special Magistrate on April 16, 2025, ordered property owners in multiple code-enforcement cases to make repairs, clear lots or remove nonoperable vehicles and set deadlines for compliance, with fines to begin if the work is not completed.

The orders address a range of property-maintenance and nuisance violations brought by the City of Fort Pierce's Code Enforcement Division, including exterior repairs, lot clearing, illegal parking on unpaved surfaces and nonoperable vehicles. Magistrate rulings gave owners between seven days and 60 days to comply, and established daily fines ranging from $100 to $250 for continued violations.

The most contested matter was a Massey lot-clearing hearing for a vacant lot at 1402 S. 20th Street (case LTCL-2024-171), where the city presented invoices and vendor testimony showing contractor work to lift and trim trees and shrubs. The city’s packet listed nuisance-abatement charges of $820, an administrative fee of $100 and daily fines that had accrued before the hearing; the city’s composite exhibit contained before-and-after photos and an invoice from the vendor, Moe for Less. Vendor owner Andrew Kasim testified by phone that his crew trimmed trees along the back fence line, removed debris and charged $820 as a discounted rate: “We trimmed all the trees that are along the back fence line … and removed the debris. … It was quite a number of trees,” Kasim said.

Property owner Mayun Sharif told the magistrate he had maintained the lot for years and said he did not receive registered mail notices. “I was not notified. I didn’t get any notices till a notice came to me that I owe $4,000,” Sharif said. After hearing the city and vendor testimony, the magistrate stated that — provided the city did not object — $920 would be due to cover the city’s costs, and gave Sharif 30 days to pay. The transcript contains different numerical references to the total balance; the city’s paperwork listed a $4,520 balance (including daily fines), while the magistrate’s stated order on the record was $920 due; that discrepancy appears in the transcript and is reflected here without reconciliation.

Other magistrate orders announced at the hearing include:

- CE2025-271221 (2012/21 Easter Ave.): The magistrate found remaining violations and granted 60 days from the hearing for the property to cure outstanding nuisances and exterior-code items. The magistrate advised that failure to comply would result in a $250 per-day fine beginning after the compliance period.

- CE2025-25507 (507 Texas Ct.): The magistrate found violations of exterior and accessory-structure maintenance and ordered the owner to repair a deteriorating fence, replace rotting fascia boards, repaint peeling surfaces and obtain any required permits within 30 days. Failure to comply will result in a $250-per-day fine.

- CE2025-118 (507 Azalea Ave.): The owner was ordered to cease parking vehicles on unpaved front-yard areas within 10 days; the magistrate set a $250-per-day fine for noncompliance.

- LTCL-2025-67617 (Texas Ct. lot clearing): The magistrate found a nuisance condition on a lot under three acres and ordered the owner to cut grass and weeds, trim trees/shrubs to the standards listed in the notice, and remove trash and landscape debris within seven days. The order includes a $100-per-day fine for each day the violation persists and authorizes city abatement with costs assessed to the property if the owner fails to act.

- NOOP-2025-62 (Avenue M nonoperable vehicle): The magistrate found nonoperable vehicles in violation of the city’s code and ordered the respondent to ensure all vehicles on the property were safely and legally operable within seven days. The city may abate the condition and assess costs to the property if the owner fails to comply. The respondent has 30 days to appeal the magistrate’s order.

City staff entered photographic evidence and notices into the record as the city’s composite exhibit 1 in each contested matter. In several cases, the magistrate noted that notices were mailed by certified and regular mail and were also posted on the properties; in at least two matters certified mailings were returned unclaimed and the city relied on property-appraiser and Sunbiz records to identify owners and registered agents.

The magistrate closed the hearing after listing additional matters to be rescheduled and reviewing the city’s notice-and-posting procedures for absent violators. The city’s enforcement packet and the magistrate’s orders establish deadlines, potential daily fines and the city’s authority to abate nuisances and charge the property for abatement costs if owners do not comply.