On June 1, 2026, the City of Miami Code Enforcement Special Magistrate, Richard Genler, presided over a hearing to address various code violations. The proceedings included extensions of time for property owners to come into compliance, hearings for respondents contesting violations, and default judgments for absent respondents. The session began with five extension-of-time requests, all of which were granted for 120 days, and then moved to contested hearings, followed by absentia cases. A total of approximately 19 cases were addressed.
All right. If you plan on testifying today, do you swear affirming the testimony you will give today is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth say I do. Thank you, maybe seated. Okay, so um, I'm sorry? Let me swear to it. Okay, yes, please go ahead. Uh do you solid me swear a form that you want to translate from English and Spanish and Spanish saying that's a single ability? Okay. Oh, okay. All right, we're gonna swear everybody in in Spanish. Uh just go ahead and please do so. Okay, thank you. Gracias. One moment, one more. One more. Do you solemnly swear from you a translate from English to create English to the best of your ability? Thank you. No, okay, mercy. Um, so I want to welcome everyone to uh the code enforcement special uh magistrate hearings this morning. Uh so uh my name is Richard Genler, and as a special magistrate, uh I hear the case in the same manner as the code enforcement board. I'm authorized by Florida statute and the City of Miami Code to hear and decide cases brought against those persons and or property who have been cited for violations of various ordinances, but who have not corrected the alleged violations or not corrected them in a timely manner. Each case will be called and the respondent whose property and or business is the alleged violator, will be asked to either plead guilty or not guilty to the issued violation or violations. If the respondent pleads guilty, both the city code compliance department and the respondent will have the opportunity to explain what is going on, and then as a special magistrate, I will decide how much time, if any, will be given to comply with the violations, and any amount of any per diem lien to be issued. And up to five hundred dollars per diem per day for residential property and up to five thousand dollars per diem or day for a non-residential commercial property for what is called a repeat violation. If the respondent pleads guilty, the city through the assistant city attorney, sitting to my left to your right, um present its case. After the city presents its case, the respondent will be permitted to present its defense. Both the city and the respondent will have an opportunity to present evidence and to examine and cross-examine witnesses. If the respondent is not present, and the respondent's representative wishes to present the respondent's defense, that representative must either be a licensed attorney in the state of Florida, have a valid power of attorney or some other legal document which gives them the authority to represent the property interests of the respondent. If the representative does not have a valid power of attorney or other legal document, then the case will be heard in abstention, and the representative will not have the legal authority to present a defense or testify before me. If a hearing is requested through a plea of not guilty, the hearing is conducted in an informal manner. This is what's referred to as a quasi-judicial proceeding. However, all discussion, presentations, and questions are limited to matters relating directly to the violation cited. After all the evidence is presented, I will determine whether the respondent is guilty or not guilty. If found guilty, I will order the violation to be corrected by a certain date, and if not corrected, the relevant per diem lien will be determined by me and imposed. If I determine that the violation is one that created an irreparable or irreversible harm through the evidence and testimony presented, an additional fine of up to $15,000 may be issued. When an issued violation has been complied, it is your responsibility as the property owner to contact your code compliance inspector to have the violation complied. It is the if the violation is not corrected by the required date, the per diem lien is ordered today shall issue without further hearing. The lien imposed will be a lien against decided property and against other real or personal property owned by the violator. If you need to request an extension of time after the imposition of time to comply today, you may do so by visiting www.miamigov.com and this and the in the search queue type quote unquote extension of time. You may request the extension of time before the time given today expires. In informy date county. Okay. If you have a cell phone, please turn it off, turn it to vibrate. Of course, everyone must conduct themselves in a professional, respectful manner. Thank you so much. And the city may call its first case. So we'll do the extensions of time first, then followed by the to be heard. Okay. No problem. Um sorry.