Fort Walton Beach Ordinance — 2182--Amending COO Section 5.05 Nuisance Abatement — reading text

DAVE ORDINANCE 2182 f2 n_ d avaw AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA, AMENDING CHAPTER 5. 05 OF THE CODE OF ORDINANCES OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA; RETITLING CHAPTER 5. 05 TO ABATEMENT OF NON -DRUG NUISANCES; AMENDING SECTION 5. 05. 01 AND RETITLING IT TO NUISANCE ABATEMENT PROGRAM; AMENDING SECTION 5. 05. 02 AND RETITLING IT TO INITIATING NUISANCE ABATEMENT THROUGH NOTICE TO ABATE NUISANCES; AMENDING SECTION 5. 05. 03 AND RETITLING IT TO SCHEDULING AND SERVING NOTICE OF HEARING BEFORE SPECIAL MAGISTRATE; AMENDING SECTION 5.05. 04 AND RETITLING IT TO NUISANCE ABATEMENT MAGISTRATE HEARING; AMENDING SECTION 5. 05. 05 AND RETITLING IT TO APPEALS; AMENDING SECTION 5. 05. 06 AND RETITLING IT TO ABATEMENT AND STORAGE; AND LEAVING SECTIONS 5. 05. 07 THROUGH 5. 05. 16 IN PLACE WITH NO CHANGES; PROVIDING A SEVERABILITY CLAUSE; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE. WHEREAS the City of Fort Walton Beach has an established nuisance abatement program; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds it necessary to review and update the program to be more efficient and to clarify its implementation for City Staff to utilize; and WHEREAS, through consistent and successful enforcement of the nuisance abatement program, residents, visitors, and business owners can enjoy a safer and more friendly environment; and WHEREAS, the City Council finds that this Ordinance serves a legitimate public purpose and promotes the public health, safety, and general welfare of the citizens of the City of Fort Walton Beach, Florida; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FORT WALTON BEACH, FLORIDA, AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. AUTHORITY AND INTENT The authority for enactment of this ordinance is pursuant to the powers vested in the city by Home Rule Authority of Section 166. 021( 1) of the Florida Statutes, the provisions of Chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes, and the City Charter. SECTION 2. AMENDING CHAPTER 5. 05 PENALTY, ABATEMENT, CORRECTION OF NUISANCES Chapter 5. 05 of the City of Fort Walton Beach Code of Ordinances shall be amended as follows with additions underlined and deletions stmicl eugh:  5. 05 ABATEMENT OF NON -DRUG NUISANCES ABATEMENT, AND CORRECTION OF NUISANCES 5. 05. 01 Nuisance Abatement Program a. In order to protect the public health, safety, and welfare of the city: the City Council finds it necessary that lands and property within the city be cleared of substances and materials which present a fire hazard or other health hazard, or which are considered to be unsafe and a nuisance to the hereby established general public. There is a public nuisance abatement program for the purpose of abating, the public nuisances. b. The owner of any property located within the City of Fort Walton Beach who creates, suffers, or permits a nuisance to exist upon their property, shall be responsible for abating the nuisance and if the owner fails to abate the nuisance in accordance with the notice given pursuant to this chapter, the city may abate the nuisance and the city. shall be reimbursed for the costs associated with the abatement pursuant to the provisions of this chapter for the recovery of those costs. C. The Nuisance Abatement Program is a supplemental means of enforcing city codes and ordinances. However a public nuisance also constitutes a code violation and the city shall first exhaust its nonjudicial Code Enforcement process before the Special Magistrate on a property before moving forward with the Nuisance Abatement Program on a prop rte. d. The city shall not be required to file either ( 1) a foreclosure of Code Enforcement lien on a property. or 22) a lawsuit seeking an injunction on a property as a pre -requisite to enforcing the Nuisance Abatement Program on a property. I' 5.5. 05.05. 0202 Initiating Initiating NuisanceNuisance AbatementAbatement throus(throus( hh NoticeNotice toto AbateAbate Nuisances Nuisances thethe Whenever Whenever thethe CityCity ManagerManager oror theirtheir designeedesignee, , BuildingBuilding OffieialOffieial oror a.a. anyany otheothe authorized authorized CityCity agentagent or-or- bodybody becomesbecomes awareaware ofof oror findsfinds thatthat anyany nuisancenuisance conditioncondition exists,exists, itit shallshall bebe thethe " " tyty ofof thenthen thethe CityCity ManagerManager oror designee,designee, maymay elect_elect_ toto initiateinitiate thethe nuisancenuisance abatementabatement process process onon aa propertvifnfnediatbypropertvifnfnediatby firstfirst providing providing writtenwritten noticenotice toto thethe owner,owner, custodian,custodian, agent,agent, trusteetrustee oror occupantoccupant ofof thethe property,property, byby certifiedcertified mailmail byby pefsonalpefsonal sen4ee,sen4ee, o" o" directingdirecting suchsuch personperson toto remove,remove, terminateterminate andand abateabate suchsuch publicpublic nuisancenuisance withinwithin thirtythirty ( ( 30)30) daysdays ofof thethe mailing,mailing, deliverydelivery oror serviceservice ofof suchsuch writtenwritten notice.notice. b.b. TheThe writtenwritten noticenotice shallshall includeinclude aa sufficientsufficient description description toto identifyidentify thethe propertyproperty uponupon whichwhich thethe publicpublic nuisancenuisance exists,exists, aa descriptiondescription ofof thethe publicpublic nuisancenuisance toto bebe terminated,terminated, andand aa statementstatement notifying notifying thethe ownerowner thatthat ifif thethe propertyproperty remainsremains inin violationviolation afterafter thethe specifiedspecified timetime frame,frame, thenthen aa noticenotice toto appearappear forfor aa publicpublic hearinghearing beforebefore thethe specialspecial magistratemagistrate shallshall bebe issuedissued toto thethe propertyproperty owner,owner, atat whichwhich timetime thethe specialspecial magistratemagistrate shallshall decidedecide whetherwhether toto permitpermit thethe citycity  to abate the nuisance and all costs fees including administrative costs, and the city shall cause a lien to be placed on the property for all such costs. A copy of the notice shall also be posted u on the property or any part thereof C. upon which the public nuisance exists. If the certified mailing is not sigLied for by the proverty owner, then posting of the notice upon the propeLfty shall constitute sufficient notice to the owner, and no additional notice shall be rpguired under this section. MW ORE III AM 5.5. 05.05. 0303 Schedulin,Schedulin, 3 andand ServingServing NoticeNotice ofof HearingHearing BeforeBefore SpecialSpecial MaMa istrateistrate PostingPosting ofof Proper4yProper4y a.a. IfIf thethe nuisancenuisance isis notnot abatedabated withinwithin thirtythirty ( ( 3030 daysdays asas setset forthforth aboveabove inin sectionsection 5.5. 05.05. 02,02, thenthen CilyCily ManagerManager oror theirtheir designee designee maymay schedule schedule aa hearing„hearing„ beforebefore thethe specialspecial magistratemagistrate inin whichwhich thethe cilycily willwill reguestreguest thatthat thethe propertyproperty bebe declareddeclared aa nuisancenuisance andand thatthat thethe nuisancenuisance mustmust bebe abated.abated. b.b. NoticeNotice ofof suchsuch heating,heating, alongalong withwith aa copycopy ofof thethe noticenotice servedserved aboveabove inin 5.5. 05.05. 0202 shallshall be:be: i.i. ServedServed byby certified certified mailmail onon thethe propertyproperty owner,owner, atat thethe addressaddress listedlisted withwith thethe Okaloosa Okaloosa CountyCounty TaxTax CollectorCollector forfor thethe property,property, ii.ii. PostedPosted onon thethe propertyproperty wherewhere thethe nuisancesnuisances is/is/ areare located,located, andand iii.iii. ServedServed onon thethe recordrecord titletitle holderholder toto thethe propertyproperty byprocessbyprocess server.server. itit shallshall a4soa4so bebe thethe " " yy ofof thethe CityCity Manager Manager or-or- designeedesignee to eause a netiee te be pes uponupon thethe pr-pr-opeFtyopeFty or-or- anyany paftpaft thereofthereof uponupon whiekwhiek thethe publiepublie nuisaneenuisanee exists. Saeh posted 140 shallshall statestate aa dese-dese-riptieftriptieft ofof thethe publiepublie nuisanee,nuisanee, thethe timetime periodperiod allewedallewed fer- a wriaen petition of aa-a-dad lienlien fer-fer- thethe totaltotal eestseests thereofthereof toto bebe plaeedplaeed onon thethe pr-pr-epeAyepeAy andand thatthat thethe> > eustodian,eustodian,  5. 05. 04 Nuisance Abatement Magistrate Hearing a. A hearing shall be held before the special magistrate, at the time and located listed in the notice served under section 5. 05. 03, to determine the following: ( 1). if a nuisance exists in violation of the 6 ' s code of ordinances ( 2). if the nuisance poses a threat to the public health safety, and welfare of the city, and ( 3). if the nuisance should be abated throu the nuisance abatement program set forth in this