Good The code board of the city of Tarpon Springs is now in session. Bobby, will you call the role force, please? Miss Wade. Mr President. Mr Here, Mr Weeks. M till here. Mrs Archer. Dr. McKay is also absent an excuse. And um, Mr Ogle, Thank you. Roll call. Thank you. If you will please stand. We'll have an invocation and pledge of allegiance. Our father. We seek blessings on the task before us. Bless our efforts with clear insight. Our deliberations with wisdom, our work with clarity and accuracy in our decisions with impartiality. We pray that our work this afternoon will find favor in your sight. Amen. And I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. To the Republic for which is saying. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. This is the procedure for the code board. It is the intention of this board to promote, protect and improve the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Tarpon Springs by providing an equitable, effective and inexpensive method of enforcing various codes within the city of Tarpon Springs. Any aggrieved party may appeal a final administrative order of this board to the circuit court. Such appeal shall be filed within 30 days of the execution of the order to be appealed. We want to remind everybody to please turn your cell phones off. And if you're intending to speak today, please stand and we can swear you in Do you swear the testimony? You're about to give us whole truth and nothing but the truth. I do. Thank you. We have one change on the agenda. And if there's no objection, we're gonna move the Case number one Zac To the complied section. It's still gonna be tabbed as number one in your book. And the First case for today is case number 24-8. 0000036 Heather M Murray 820 Bayou Avenue, Tarpon Springs. Are you here for that case, OK, If you wanna come up he's gonna present Then you can ask questions. And then you get your turn as well. Ok, so in your books, uh, board, it'll be case. To its found in P two. This is an affidavit of compliance. All right. My name is Mike Rales, and I am the code enforcement officer for the Tarpon Springs Police Department in this case is going to be Or motions sake, Number two. It is a homesteaded property located at 820 Bayou Avenue. This case was initiated from citizen complaint on February 20th. I did an initial inspection of the property. Owen. Ma'am Do you have any objection to me Submitting this evidence for them to pass down and look at it? It's just photos, OK? And I wanted to confirm you are Heather. Correct? I am Heather. Thank you. So on January 20th. I went out to conduct an initial inspection. And we had What appeared to be a large rummage sale that had been going on for quite a while. I spoke with the property owner's son, Grayson. And he said that you know they were Just selling stuff and looking to get it cleared up. I gave him one week to do so. Um Which we did not get any progress on. So we posted the property for a notice of violation. And it was then at that time I had made contact with the owner. Uh Miss Murray, who's out of the country and she's been very Cooper and helpful and explain that some of the stuff on the site did not belong to them. It was from another resident. Um And that they were going to work to get rid of their stuff as quickly as possible and work with the other gentlemen. So After we posted the notice of hearing just this week. Uh yesterday in fact, We put the property and this is just showing progress. They were cleaning it up as time went on. But this is now the finished product. Everything has been cleared. The street is clear. The sidewalk is clear. Everything has been removed. So What I'm asking for the board today is to find that they were in violation of the city ordinances, but that they did come into compliance so that if this happens again, it would be a repeat violation. But I don't. I'm not seeking any kind of fines or anything. Today. Just For the record that it was in violation, but has since come into compliance, and that The folder has An affidavit of compliance at the end of it. As well as all of our normal documents, Property appraiser tax records. Affidavits of posting. And that is it. Does the board have any questions for the city? I'm gonna call you, Heather. I hope that's all right . Heather Do you have a question for him? No I've spoken to him on the phone and we were on the same page all along, so I don't You know, I. I knew this was gonna happen. And I actually told Mike that if you post it for a hearing that will probably put some dynamite under the situation with the other gentlemen that's involved and has he's not responded Well to, uh, my request to have everything gone, And even now he has things that he has left at my place. So but now I don't have any questions of him, which just to make clear that the gentlemen we're talking about is Steve Kaufman. Um who's been in front of the board before? Uh from the residents on Castle works. And you, you homestead. This property? Yeah, it's my homestead. You have a case to present or you're just showing us I'd like to say a few things. Yeah. Yes, ma'am. Now Mr Kaufman , one time when I was on a vacation because I'm retired, now, semi retired I to work as a nurse. And, um One of the vacations. I was gone. I wouldn't say maybe a year or two ago, Uh Steve Kaufman came by and he made friends with my son. And I always wondered why, But now I know that so he'd have a place to store his junk, and he has con for the last year and a half has stored junk on my property. And I've told him repeatedly, You gotta get it gone gotta and then they came up with the idea of having the yard sale and selling it and his Primary purpose of having the yard sale seems to be too highlight himself and find employment and make connections and then to sell some stuff, But not in a way that I would do it because he he priced things too high. He left things overnight that were valuable, then was upset when something was missing, and he's not been a good communicator with me, Nor has he honored my wishes to have things gone, and he still has things that we had to move in The Way for him. He's been told by phone by text by by a messages with his mother who feels out of control with him, and I told her I'd help her if she wanted me to help get him moving with his stuff, and, uh Anyway. US mothers are on the same page. But Steven is not I and I'm gonna trespass him if he comes on the property, and I have told him that I'm not doing this anymore. Thank you. To have a. So if I if I understand this, you're you're the homeowner. But you rent it out or your son lives there with you when you come into town with me. Yes. OK, um And this other man has nothing to do with your property. Buddy stores things on it for some unknown reason he doesn't have room at his home. Say again. He does not have room where he lives, and his car is always full. Any of us has a trailer full. He's a recycler. You know, he recycles things, which you know, can can be good. But uh, in this case, and he just had what he does not listen to me. I tell him not to smoke in my property. He puts his butts everywhere, and that's neither here nor there. But that's an example of that doesn't listen. Well, we have Tarvin City Police department here. So if you wanna trespass them, I, I will. The next time he comes. I. I don't under. Um I'm I'm gonna ask you a silly question. I guess I don't understand why you Why you, um You put up with us. Number one. Can you call a cop? The police department. When these things happen, I can. There's never any violence or anything like that. Well, he kicked over the two flower pots in front of my house and broke them because he had He's putting things in your yard . I know II. I don't like to do that on someone. But I will. I am going to put your property up. To possibly have liens in the future. So that you can't sell it. Instead of confronting him. No I've confronted him several times. And I you know, And I'm I'm not standing for it anymore. I will. I don't understand. I will. No I don't understand this at all. I don't understand why this lady Why this lady is being charged with anything other than the fact that she has somebody putting stuff on her property. The reason that she's being charged is the only way we can get compliance is through the property owner and that's how you do it. Recourse take out. It's like when the dumping happens at some of these apartments. They're still responsible for your property, Even if She's responsible for the property in that incident. She now has a weapon. Why do we make her a repeat, violator? Oh, I see what you're saying. We're making because we asked that compliance be made during a certain period of time, and it wasn't made. So also some of this stuff was not. It wasn't all Mr Kaufman's. A lot of it belonged to her son as well. I understand. OK thank you for answering my to clarify. We're not Putting her as a repeat, violator. We just want to violate it. So if it happens in the future, no, we establish as an initial violation. Should there be a repeat, we have the option of coming back for repeat violation, But we are not establishing it for any purpose. Other than there was a violation . It was not corrected. Timely It has been corrected. That's what we want to establish. Thank you. I understand that. And just just for the, uh, conclusion. The primary. The primary reason it was not Cleared in time is Mr Kaufman. Cause my son You know, he was very diligent in clearing the whole driveway. Everything And I was not here and I couldn't We have not heard that you have filed a trespass. For him, and I think we would feel more reassured if you did that, so that you could call for help. When this happens and they can come in right away. He came over the other day and brought a battery and charged it up on on the outside of my house. You know he takes liberties, and he's there when we are not there. That's why you need to file an official trespass. We don't necessarily want him there. It. I'm tired of being nice. Thank you. Thank you. That'd be great. Mm. So just just to recap as we were talking about, you know, establishing the violation. If it happens again. OK, then. You will be fined immediately. It's not. You're not gonna get caught. So it's incumbent upon you to make sure that your son and Mr Kaufman You know, maintain decorum and not do not do this bad behavior. You know, it's a shame, but you're the property owner and as as the, uh, Mr Saltzman said, You know you're ultimately responsible for it so that OK, Wish me good luck. Anybody else have any questions? Do you have questions for her? The public portion cases don't close. Um, bored. I'm ready to hear a motion. I'm moving Case number two to find respondent Heather L Murray. Was in violation of the city of Tarpon Springs Code of Ordinances. 8-48 Dash 41, a for the property, located at 820 Bayou Avenue and has come into compliance. Second Roll call, please. Mr Ogle. Yes. Mrs Tiar? Yes Mr Weeks, Mr. Miss Wade? Yes, in motion carries We look Thank you very much for coming. I hope you understand the severity of this. This does fall upon you. This police department will help you, but you need to have a trespass order filed and then they will come. Yeah I do. Have one on file already at the at the, uh, firm against another person. But, you know, they said this could apply to anyone. They didn't take special names. Ok, Thank you. So, thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mike. That you want to summarize. I think it's pretty simple to do We need a summary. The summary of this case is that the board found that a, uh Violation had occurred. It had not been corrected. Uh, timely pursuant to the notice. Uh, it was brought before the board and it had come in compliance a couple of days, actually, before this hearing, Uh, therefore the board voted and found that there had been a violation that had been corrected prior to the hearing. And uh, establishing case there is a repeat violation. Thank you. We're going to go to the Affidavits of compliance, which the first one will be tab two for 610, P Oaks. I'm sorry. The first the first one. It's well. The first, uh, affidavit to compliance will be go back to that one. So we're gonna jump back one. Item number one on your agenda. December 24-80. Michael Some some day 610 Fair Oaks drive Tarpon Springs, Florida and it'll be tabbed as number one in your Binder. So this is pretty quick. This gentleman, um, his home was listed as an Airbnb or a short term vacation rental. And this is actually came up in the fall of 2023. We addressed it with him. He fixed it immediately. We had no problem. Well, then, just recently at the beginning of this year, um A listing came up on Airbnb itself. And I made contact with him. He was out of the country and he was like, No, I took all the listings down. I don't have anybody rent. What are you talking about? So I did go through and look, his verb. All of his listings were in compliance. It was just his air. B NBI believe it was some sort of an error and it relisted it. He immediately fixed it And it's a 42 day minimum. So I just submitting an affidavit of compliance for him. Mike There's a something with Airbnb that at the start of a calendar year, they revert back to old settings . We've had people come before us before and say that that they didn't realize it At the start of a calendar year, it reverts back. So what he had before probably came back up. And Yeah, and that's that seems to be exactly what happened and he fixed it. And I think it was like less than 48 hours. And he and he did that from when I talked to him. He was in Germany. So Thank you. Like to make a motion, please. I move in case number one to find respondent Michael J zk in compliance with the city of Ton Springs Code of Ordinances section 241.008 and 25.02 for the property located at 610 Fairs, Fair Oaks Drive and to accept the affidavit of compliance. Take your choice, B. OK? Mr O. Yes. Miss Tar? Yes, Mr Weeks. Video. Ms Wade? Yes. Motion carries. To case three Case three. So this will be another affidavit of compliance. This one is for 434 Athens Street, and this one is slightly unique. Uh, As it was brought to our attention by the property property owner. She came into the police station and spoke with us. Through digging through the records. This case started, um in 2008. It was a very long running thing that has had multiple code enforcement officers. Um, who have dealt with it as I dug through the files. Uh, what I found was a note in in Avalon from my predecessor, Cindy Stoner. Where Through her investigating, she found that there was some errors and things hadn't been updated, so she actually put the property in compliance retroactively. To January 21st 2022. She then left and it kind of just fell. I don't even think she ever got a chance to bring it up or, you know, raise the issue. And then she left until I happened to find her notes in the file. So at some point in the future, and we're still trying to let the property owner know I've gone by her house. I've tried to call her. I still haven't even told her yet that you actually came into compliance back in 2022, So we're just submitting the affidavit of compliance today. So that that gets fixed, and then I'm sure she will be in front of you in the coming months to do a fine reduction or whatever she chooses to do from there, But all this is doing is saying that she was in compliance as of July 21st of 2022. You've been by the property Mike and have seen that it has maintained in compliance from what I could see. Yes and a lot of it was. The rest of it was reviewed through all of the years and years of notes and inspections, And we've Put everything together. So from everything I can tell. Yes she is in compliance. That's when you put eyes on the property. I knocked on her front door. And This is 434 Athens Street. Correct? Yes. We see this today. There are no fines due. It's strictly an affidavit of compliance. Well, there's going to be significant fines due but that will be addressed later when she submits . All we're doing today is just saying that these fines should have stopped accruing in July of 2022, but there are gonna be significant fines on the property, but she will have to address that with the board later. We're stopping the clock. Correct. If you accept the affidavit, if you accept the returning the clock back a couple of years. Does anyone have questions for him? Well OK, we find if we find find her in compliance as you say, but then You can't put a caveat, saying no fines due because fines are due. Well we're not putting any caveat. We're simply saying the fines are stopping running. OK she's still going to owe. OK Yeah, it's motion before motion for, OK, it'll just be back before you. That's what Mike was telling me. This is not gonna be this won't be the end of this. OK, got it. Hey. Would someone I move in case number 0 8 Dash. 000002 To find the respondent. Again, Elaine. Give me Elaine. Dummy and Anno. Is in compliance for correcting the violations. And to accept The affidavit of compliance. Second A second. Can we do it without listing the violations themselves? Yes. Should we list the violations themselves? No you don't have to. Because the you're just accepting the affidavit of compliance as presented Roll call, please. Bobby. Thanks for clarifying Mr Ogle. Yes. Mr Tiller? Yes. Two weeks. Mr. And Miss Wade? Yes. Now we're on Queues four. 22-8000 Betty Colossi. East Lemon Street, which tells me it's an empty lot. So this is a case that, um was on a vacant lot on Lemon Street. They had some erosion issues. Uh, which the gentleman fixed. But I Don't know what he why he didn't follow up. Um And then the lot became overgrown, so he made contact with us. Earlier this year, asking what he needed to do. We went out inspected the property spoke with him said Hey, you need to get it. Cut trim, cleaned up, haul all the debris out of here. Which he did. And I have an affidavit of compliance here that the law is now. Presentable and in compliance, and he has submitted with it and it's in your book. Uh, A fine reduction request, and that is the only information he submitted to us in support of his fine reduction. Like what was the issue of storm water management there? The original violation. Was that the sand and was washing out into the street into the storm drain. So the original Case was that he needed to put up a silt fence and then put in grass and all that which he eventually did. Um but then he never followed up. So then the lot just became overgrown and dilapidated and Is since fixed all that, So he's He's good now. I'm still just confused because there's no fine listed here for it's the fine is listed on the agenda. He has a total fine of $8455. So that's where I got mixed up. It's not with his tab. It's listed separately. Thank you. Missing a whole bunch of stuff. This time, they're all fine to Just. So you can, uh do two separate motions. First one should be to accept the affidavit of compliance. Yes. If you did that one first and then you can discuss Whether how you wanna address the fine reduction based on the information that was presented All right. When we accept the offer of compliance. It should be in the fines due category. Actually in this one. I would recommend that you do. Them separately and do the same motion number four OK and then address the fines because I think there's going to be some discussion. Based on the Amount or lack of information that was presented to you because of our time issues, So we need motion for to start with. Mm. I move in case number Eight. Um 00. 00020 To find the respondent Betty Kazzi. In compliance for correcting the violations and to accept the affidavit affidavit of compliance. Second Broke up, please. Mr Ogle? Yes. Mrs Tar? Yes. Mr Weeks? Yes, Mr In this way, Yes. We're gonna follow the agenda and come back to this. We're going to go to the consent. Is item number five. We already dealt with that. That was a typo. It shouldn't have been there. I'm sorry. You've already we already dealt with Mr Zumbe. So you're just you're just on the fine reduction discussion at this point. Yeah. I thought he had another property. We will continue with the request for fine reduction for case number 22-80000, which we just put in compliance, and now we need to discuss What happened that they were Was to have a fine of 8000. 44 $8455. If you'd like to present that issue for us, we'd love to hear it. It's really based on what is in the writing. Um Frankly, I think that the information might be insufficient for you to make a decision and the board may Direct the city to contact the individual and have them present at your next meeting, uh, to discuss it because I don't. I don't see how you can base. Any decision on the facts that were presented to you, I. I have one question. Is it a repeat violator? No, OK. The I have another question. Has there been a formal request for a reduction? That's what this form is. We send a packet and usually they will send their whatever written narrative as well as supporting documents as far as financial or correspondence with , you know, whatever department they were working with. This was all we got back. My understanding is that we were to, uh, make decisions based on the evidence that we have in front of us. You are, but you have the ability to request additional information. You could clearly make it based on this. It's just, um, remember the creation of the board is to get compliance. And so now you have a situation where we are in compliance. What do you wanna do? You could you could vote. To reduce it today. You could vote not to reduce it. Um I just feel that it's not At least from my perspective on behalf of the city. We would not even be able to make a recommendation to you based on the information we have , because it's insufficient and we're not supposed to be punitive. So with regards to that. We give them another time at bat to present their case, and if not, then We go full bore. And I have an issue with Them not following what we have been given as rules for fine reduction. He did not submit the proper paperwork. I might suggest that we Table this Send him the packet again. Suggest that they come before the board and then I think we can make a more equitable decision. We don't want property just sitting there and growing weeds and debris. And just being put off forever, and then they come and say, Oh, it's fixed now. We want it fixed continuously. And so I would like to suggest, perhaps tabling this till next month. Give them one more shot at a bite of the Apple. And see if they present more information otherwise. I'm Leaning toward issuing the fine, so that would be the warning. Uh, it's I agree proper to do. We need a vote on table and makes a motion to table. That motion takes precedent over any other aspect. There's no discussion once you make that motion we just have. If we have a second, we vote on it. I make a motion to table it. I have one other things I want to ask. Sir, Can we help you? Back here. Now. OK? The whole case. One They So I think that if we if we reduce the fine or eliminate the fine, whatever we do with that And somehow affects this case going forward, and I have concerns also that it's going to end up being in a constant situation. There These laws get cleared, and then they just keep, you know. So the thing is I isn't it true that we take the fine away, and they they? Well what I mean from the city's perspective, what we like is to have some kind of dialogue with the individual so we can make a recommendation to the board. Some assurance that Hey, we've talked to the property owner and they understand that, uh, we're giving them recommending a fine reduction to give them a break. Understanding that should they do this again in violation. It's a repeat violation at $500 up to $500 a day and that the city will not be supporting them in that aspect, but we have not had sufficient information to even make a recommendation in this case, but I just Ask. I'm sorry. Go ahead. I just the rules about fine reduction. There's something about fine reduction that changes the fact that they wouldn't be a repeat violator. Isn't that the case? No, No, no, no, no, no, it would still be. We're not gonna reduce it below our administrative cost. All right, Could I just clarify something? Um the property was not in compliance for 331 days. What I've read. And they left the country for five months during that time. That's what he put on there. So Yeah, there's a there seems to be A lot of information that we need to understand. That's a that's almost a year, so our other alternative is to issue the fine. And maybe that gives more impetus for them to come back. Yeah, That's another option that you have as a working group. Usually it's one bite at the apple. Uh I would rather you table it. Let's give them an opportunity to show up. If they choose not to, or don't have. Don't contact us and we inform the board of that situation. Thank you that clarifies that some I'll move to table this item. Would you like to make a motion? To the next meeting. Or until we can get the owner in. Well II. I would hold off on until we get the owner in Yeah. Yeah I would say yeah, they they have to be present at the next meeting next meeting. Yeah, not because they may just say, Well, I'm out of town or I'm Whatever. And we request their presence. All right. Let's make Is it OK if he clarifies the your absolutely OK, Let's make your motion. OK? Yeah. The motion is that they, um, attend the next meeting with proper supporting documentation. The request if they were to receive a fine reduction. Is that motion? Clear enough for you? I'll second that. OK, Thank you. We're good. We'll call Bobby One moment, please. Sorry. Mr Ogle. Yes. Miss Tar? Yes. Mr Weeks? Yes. Mr Fudo all Miss Wade? Yes. And all that up what we hope to send a strongly worded letter. With the board's request on that. You have been given some copies of the minutes. You. I hope you had time to look through those. And if you did, and would like to Make a motion that we approve the minutes Or July of 23 August of 23. November of 23, January and February of 24. I moved to accept the minutes. Uh, that we were handed out for July. 23 November 23 August, 23 January and February of 24. As written. Second Voice vote. All in favor. I any opposed? The one in the audience to make comments. Does the board or staff have any comments to make I just wanted to give you guys a quick update that, uh Corporal Boone and I continue to work through a lot of the backlog from 2023 cases. But just for this year so far, we've had Uh, 49 cases, and that's a combination of that have been complaints as well as self initiated from myself, Corporal Boone and other city staff. Um currently we've closed 28 of those cases, uh, with compliance, and we have 21, currently active. I think that's helpful to give us that perspective. Thank you very much. Scene and no no other board business on the agenda. Meeting is adjourned. OK? You can have. Thank you. I thought he was gonna be swinging. Congratulation That's what I thought. Oh, he did what happened? Oh, wow. Hey, Congratulations, man. You've heard that. Oh, my God. They all got it. They got numbers on all our thank you. You. Right? The Is there anybody complain that I didn't throw him out? I told him to play music. Supposed to be. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's it. Mr Boone. I.