OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Clearwater Municipal Code Enforcement Board Meeting - July 22, 2026

Clearwater Municipal Meetings — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
BodyClearwater, Florida
SessionClearwater Municipal Meetings
DateWednesday, July 22, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:49:04

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Enforcement board is called to order on July 22nd 19 uh 2025.

0:10

Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance in the middle of the Mr.

0:14

Engel.

0:14

Would you lead us to the Pledge of Allegiance?

0:16

Of course.

0:29

Thank you.

0:30

Please be seated.

0:33

Agendas of today's meeting are on the wall at entrance to chambers.

0:36

Please remember to turn off your cell phones.

0:40

The municipal code enforcement board consists of seven members who are appointed by the city council who serve voluntarily.

0:47

It is this board's attention to promote, protect, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Clearwater by providing this equitable, effective, and inexpensive method of enforcing certain codes within the city.

1:01

The board considers new business items in two parts.

1:05

First, the violation and then affirmative relief.

1:08

Formal rules of evidence do not apply.

1:11

Each side is limited to 15 minutes.

1:14

The board may grant additional time.

1:16

All proceedings will be conducted in a calm civil manner.

1:21

Individuals who conduct themselves otherwise will be asked to leave.

1:25

If necessary, they will be escorted from chambers.

1:28

Now I ask all who plan to speak to please rise and be sworn in by the clerk.

1:43

Our first order of business is to review and approve the minutes of last month's meeting.

1:47

May I have a motion to approve the minutes?

1:51

Motion to approve.

1:53

Second.

1:54

All in favor?

1:55

Aye.

1:56

All opposed.

1:58

The motion carries.

1:59

Moutes are approved.

2:02

Next on the agenda are new business items.

2:07

Our first case 3.1 is continued to September.

2:13

Next agenda item 3.2 is also continued to September.

2:18

Doesn't say that.

2:23

It's continued from March.

2:24

Oh, I see.

2:24

Well, this says I see it now.

2:26

It's continued from March, but continued to September 23rd.

2:29

Okay.

2:29

I got you.

2:30

All right.

2:31

I'm with you now.

2:32

3.3 is continued from April 22nd, case 84-26.

2:37

Flying respondents, Mary G.

2:39

Realty incorporated at 490 Mandalay Avenue in violation of code for permits.

2:44

And issue an order with a compliance deadline and fine if compliance is not met.

2:49

Inspector Reese.

2:51

Is there uh anyone here to speak on this case?

2:54

Inspector Reese, you have the floor.

2:56

Good afternoon, co-board.

2:57

I'm Inspector Kat Reese for the City of Clearwater.

3:00

This is for 490 Mendeley Avenue, case 84-26.

3:07

And what's going on there?

3:16

It's going slow today.

3:19

Okay.

3:20

So we have one violation at this property for section 4-203.a dot one.

3:26

Uh no person shall commence any construction, demolition, modification, or renification of a building or structure without first obtaining a building permit.

3:35

This is specifically for the deck that was installed in front of the uh uh along the storefronts on the property.

3:41

There were multiple violations.

3:43

This is a pretty one of the old cases began on September 6th of 2024.

3:49

Uh gave multiple compliance dates for this property.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████32%
Code Enforcement████████████████████████24%
Procedural██████████████████████22%
Pending Litigation█████████████13%
Community Engagement████4%
Public Safety██2%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Public Engagement█1%
Affordable Housing█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Clearwater Municipal Code Enforcement Board Meeting

On July 22, 2026, at 6:30 PM, the City of Clearwater Municipal Code Enforcement Board convened in Council Chambers at the Main Library. The seven‑member board heard a full agenda of code enforcement cases, including new business violations, an old‑business fine‑reduction request, and multiple nuisance abatement filings. Below is a summary of the proceedings.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: Unanimously approved minutes of the June 24, 2026 meeting.
  • Affidavits of Compliance: Accepted for nine cases (87‑17, 86‑19, 40‑22, 71‑25, 93‑25, 04‑26, 83‑26, 100‑26, and 159‑26).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Papadhami (Case 130‑26): Respondent appeared and acknowledged a corrected grass‑parking violation. Board issued a declaration with no fine.
  • Scott (Case 144‑26): Owner admitted an abandoned‑building violation, citing job loss and contractor issues. Ordered compliance by September 26, 2026.
  • Peduzzi (Case 150‑26): Owner admitted a fence‑permits violation after her husband’s death. Extended deadline to September 24, 2026.
  • Martin (Case 142‑26): Tenant explained a temporary banner sign remained while awaiting a permanent sign. Extended deadline to September 22, 2026.
  • No respondents appeared for most other cases.

New Business Cases

Permits & Construction

  • Case 84‑26 (Mary G Realty, 490 Mandalay Ave): Unpermitted deck. Violation found unanimously; ordered permit by Aug 24, 2026 and completion within 6 months; $150/day fine.
  • Case 87‑26 (Gratus Filius, 1700 Gulf to Bay Blvd): Abandoned construction site. Violation found (5‑2); ordered compliance by Oct 22, 2026; $250/day fine (1 dissenting on the fine motion).
  • Case 147‑26 (A 5 J’s, 2620 Drew St): Unpermitted sign. Ordered by Aug 22, 2026; $150/day fine.
  • Case 150‑26 (Peduzzi, 2054 Rainbow Dr): Unpermitted fence. Extended to Sep 24, 2026; $150/day fine.
  • Case 152‑26 (Ivan Caruso Trustee, 912 Seminole St): Structure built without valid permit. Ordered by Aug 24, 2026; $150/day fine.

Property Maintenance & Signage

  • Case 132‑26 (Ramnarain, 1475 Park St): Exterior surfaces. Violation found; Aug 22, 2026; $150/day.
  • Case 134‑26 (Hicks, 1308 Roosevelt Ave): Community garden corrected – declaration, no fine. Exterior shed violation – Sep 1, 2026; $150/day.
  • Case 136‑26 (Soceanu, 2036 San Marino Way S): Exterior storage corrected – declaration, no fine.
  • Case 137‑26 (South Florida Homeowner Solutions, 2048 Loma Linda Way S): Exterior surfaces; Aug 22, 2026; $150/day.
  • Case 141‑26 (FTMC, 1627 Gulf to Bay Blvd): Unpermitted painted sign; Aug 22, 2026; $150/day.
  • Case 142‑26 (MCT/Triple Key, 810 S Missouri Ave): Temporary signs beyond limit; Sep 22, 2026; $150/day.

Abandoned Building

  • Case 144‑26 (Scott, 3136 San Pedro St): Roofless structure. Violation found; Sep 26, 2026; $150/day.

Old Business

Fine Reduction – Case 70‑23 (Ayad Elayyan, 1383 Gulf to Bay Blvd)

  • Graffiti violation had been corrected and a sale was pending. The board voted 6‑1 to reduce the lien to administrative costs of $1,053.20, payable within 30 days; otherwise the original lien of $75,900 would revert.

Nuisance Abatement Filings

  • Cases 180‑26, 181‑26, 183‑26, 184‑26, 185‑26, 187‑26: Inoperable vehicles, overgrowth, debris. The board ordered respondents to correct violations within 5 days of the written order and authorized the city to enter and abate the nuisance at the owner’s expense if not complied. Costs, fines, and fees would become a lien.
  • Case 182‑26 (Benjamin Hernandez): Pool nuisance corrected; declaration of violation, no fine.
  • Two items were withdrawn.

Other Board Action

  • Affidavits of Non‑Compliance: Accepted for cases 79‑26 and 88‑26 (1623 Windsor Pl) for permits and room addition, imposing fines.
  • Process Discussion: City staff led a discussion on nuisance abatement and lien reduction procedures, noting that future meetings may include revised scripts and a board training session on code enforcement processes.

Key Outcomes

  • Total cases decided: 15 new business cases resulted in violation findings with compliance deadlines; 3 were declared corrected with no fine; 1 fine reduction granted; 6 nuisance abatement orders issued.
  • Fines imposed: Daily fines ranged from $150 to $250 per day.
  • Continued cases: Several cases were continued to August 26, September 23, or later dates.
  • Next steps: The board will consider procedural updates and training at a future meeting.

Note: The meeting time (6:30 PM) is based on the provided timestamp; the printed agenda listed 1:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Enforcement board is called to order on July 22nd 19 uh 2025. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance in the middle of the Mr. Engel. Would you lead us to the Pledge of Allegiance? Of course. Thank you. Please be seated. Agendas of today's meeting are on the wall at entrance to chambers. Please remember to turn off your cell phones. The municipal code enforcement board consists of seven members who are appointed by the city council who serve voluntarily. It is this board's attention to promote, protect, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of Clearwater by providing this equitable, effective, and inexpensive method of enforcing certain codes within the city. The board considers new business items in two parts. First, the violation and then affirmative relief. Formal rules of evidence do not apply. Each side is limited to 15 minutes. The board may grant additional time. All proceedings will be conducted in a calm civil manner. Individuals who conduct themselves otherwise will be asked to leave. If necessary, they will be escorted from chambers. Now I ask all who plan to speak to please rise and be sworn in by the clerk. Our first order of business is to review and approve the minutes of last month's meeting. May I have a motion to approve the minutes? Motion to approve. Second. All in favor? Aye. All opposed. The motion carries. Moutes are approved. Next on the agenda are new business items. Our first case 3.1 is continued to September. Next agenda item 3.2 is also continued to September. Doesn't say that. It's continued from March. Oh, I see. Well, this says I see it now. It's continued from March, but continued to September 23rd. Okay. I got you. All right. I'm with you now. 3.3 is continued from April 22nd, case 84-26. Flying respondents, Mary G. Realty incorporated at 490 Mandalay Avenue in violation of code for permits. And issue an order with a compliance deadline and fine if compliance is not met. Inspector Reese. Is there uh anyone here to speak on this case? Inspector Reese, you have the floor. Good afternoon, co-board. I'm Inspector Kat Reese for the City of Clearwater.

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