Highland Beach Code Board Drops Cases After Compliance

In a recent meeting of the Highland Beach Code Enforcement Board, several cases were dismissed as property owners achieved compliance by obtaining necessary permits. However, in one notable case, a violation involving an expired building permit for electrical work led to a discussion due to unusual circumstances surrounding the property owner.

In case number CC24-86, the respondent, Seth Fishman, was cited for an expired electrical sub-permit at the property located on South Ocean Boulevard. The Code Compliance Officer, Adam Osowski, reported that the permit, initially submitted on February 19th, 2021, expired as the final inspection had not been completed. The violation had persisted for over a year, with the permit expiring on April 27th, 2023. Mr. Osowski recommended a fine of $250 per day if the property did not come into compliance within the board’s determined timeframe, in addition to prosecution costs of $250.

During this discussion, a contractor, Felipe Cortez, revealed that he was hired to complete the job but ceased work due to nonpayment. Mr. Cortez provided a convoluted narrative involving misappropriated funds by a management contractor and subsequent legal disputes, which resulted in Fishman’s imprisonment on unrelated charges. The contractor expressed uncertainty about how to proceed given his financial stake and the property owner’s incarceration.

They ultimately decided to set a two-week period for compliance, after which the daily fine would be imposed. The decision took into account the likelihood that the imprisoned property owner would not address the issue in the near term.

Other cases, such as CC24-D118 and CC24-112, were swiftly resolved as the town had already issued the permits, rendering the alleged violations moot.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.

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