Special Magistrate Jennifer De Peschke on March 5 paused the accrual of daily Massey fines for 30 days for a Fort Pierce property at 108 Rosalind Avenue while the owner attempts to obtain required permitting and complete driveway repairs.

The hearing in Fort Pierce concerned code-enforcement violations originally documented May 30, 2024. Code officer Heather Dubovic told the magistrate the property remained out of compliance, and staff testified the outstanding balance on the property was $19,770 and that the violations were graded “major.” Dubovic said items remaining included vehicles parked on turf and a driveway with trip hazards; she identified IPMC provisions and Fort Pierce code nuisance sections cited in the notice of violation.

Maria Betancourt, the respondent, said she had attempted to apply for the driveway permit online but encountered repeated login failures with the city portal and only succeeded after creating a Gmail account. She also said she had a contractor lined up to extend the driveway and that parking the truck in the existing paved driveway would resolve one of the violations. City staff confirmed no permit application was in the system prior to the hearing.

Assistant City Attorney Felicia Holloman and staff recommended that daily fines continue to run until the property is brought into compliance. Magistrate De Peschke acknowledged the ongoing noncompliance but granted a 30-day pause on fines, conditioned on obtaining the required permit. De Peschke told the respondent the time would start from the date of the order and that staff could grant extensions if necessary once permits were in hand.

The magistrate directed the respondent to keep in contact with the building department and staff and warned that fines would resume after 30 days if the permit was not obtained or the property not brought into compliance. No new fine amount was set at the hearing; daily fines already assessed remain part of the record and will resume if compliance is not achieved.