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Record of Proceedings

Ocala Municipal Code Enforcement Board Meeting - August 13, 2026

City Council & Boards — Thursday, August 13, 2026
BodyOcala, Florida
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateThursday, August 13, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:48:15

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Oh yeah, okay.

0:07

Yeah, no we're wrong.

0:09

Ms.

0:09

Shirley, would you be mind doing the invocation?

0:12

Okay.

0:12

Thank you.

0:23

I get it from everyone.

1:00

Ready?

1:06

The session of the municipal code enforcement board is now in session.

1:10

We can all rise for the invocation and the budget of legends.

1:15

Let us bow heads in prayer.

1:17

Dear Heavenly Father, we come before thy throne of grace giving thee thanks.

1:20

Your word says I will lift up mine eyes to the heels from with cometh my help.

1:24

And we ask, oh God, that you help us with our deliberations here today.

1:28

We ask, oh God, that you bless our city, bless our officials, both locally, statewide, and nationwide.

1:36

Keep us, oh God, under the umbrella of your love and care.

1:39

It is in Jesus' name I pray.

1:41

Amen.

1:43

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

2:01

If we have a roll call, please.

2:03

All righty.

2:05

Shirley Wright here.

2:06

Darrell O'Kane.

2:08

Here.

2:08

Kevin Steiner.

2:09

Here.

2:10

Eddie Ferrentino.

2:11

Present.

2:12

Bruce Gonsteth?

2:13

Here.

2:14

Charles Hannah.

2:14

Here.

2:15

We have a quorum.

2:18

All right.

2:20

Proof of publication was public on published on August third, 2026.

2:26

We have minutes that need to be approved from last time.

2:30

Did everybody get a chance to read the minutes?

2:33

Would anybody like to make a motion?

2:36

Yes, I move the adoption of the minutes.

2:43

I have a first by Miss Shirley Wright.

2:45

Do I have a second?

2:45

Bruce Gonson's second.

2:47

Second by Mr.

2:47

Gones.

2:48

All in favor?

2:50

Aye.

2:50

Any opposed?

2:52

Motion carries.

2:54

We can have the swearing in of the officers, please.

2:59

Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

3:16

Mr.

3:16

Chairman, if I could, before you started.

3:18

Yes, sir.

3:18

For the record, Jess Rum Growth Management Director.

3:21

I just wanted to uh let you all know we've had some personnel changes.

3:25

As you know, you you don't see Dale Hollingsworth here tonight.

3:28

Last week I appointed him as our one-stop permit manager in the building division.

3:33

So he's taking that position.

3:35

I want to acknowledge the work he's done here in code enforcement.

3:38

I think things have really come a long way, and I think you all know that as well.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████████████████38%
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Pending Litigation███████████████15%
Public Safety██████████10%
Affordable Housing███3%
Personnel Matters██2%
Code Enforcement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Ocala Municipal Code Enforcement Board Meeting - August 13, 2026

The Ocala Municipal Code Enforcement Board met on Thursday, August 13, 2026, at 5:30 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The board heard numerous cases involving code violations, granted continuances, approved liens, and imposed fines. The meeting included the announcement of personnel changes within the Code Enforcement Division.

Consent Calendar

  • Roll call established a quorum with members Shirley Wright, Darrell O'Kain, Kevin Steiner, Eddie Ferrentino, Bruce Gonseth, and Charles Hannah present.
  • Minutes from the previous meeting were approved unanimously.
  • Officers were sworn in, including code enforcement staff Jennipher Buller, Rob Moore, Stephanie Smith, Osias Ferrera, Steve Knight, Anthony Eaglen, and Greg McClellan.
  • Two environmental cases (ENV26-0090 and ENV26-0092) were continued for 60 days upon staff request.
  • Several old business lien cases were approved en masse as consent items, with no opposition.

Discussion Items

  • Case CE25-0422 (Magnolia Trace LLC): The respondent requested a waiver of $600 in daily fines (six days at $100/day) for failing to obtain a fence permit on time. The respondent argued they received incorrect information from city staff and that the delay was caused by a required letter from an architect. The board voted unanimously to waive the $600 fine.
  • Case CE26-0031 (Cynthia Brigham): The property owner, representing herself, stated she was working with a contractor to demolish a structure and needed more time. Staff confirmed a permit application was approved to issue. The board granted a 30-day extension to obtain the permit and 60 additional days to complete the work, setting a compliance date of September 10, 2026.
  • Case CE26-0560 (Kinesha Reynolds): The respondent explained that her vehicle had flat tires and she was focused on sending her son to college. The board extended the compliance date to October 8, 2026, to either register and insure the vehicle or remove it.
  • Case CE25-0326 (Noah Hernandez): The respondent agreed to a reduced lien of $5,000 in daily fines plus $253.07 in hard costs. The board approved the staff recommendation.
  • Case CE26-0287 (Jamie Rogers): The respondent argued he should not be required to pay double permit fees for a door installed before his ownership. The board found him in violation and ordered compliance with staff recommendation (prosecution costs of approximately $261 and requirement to obtain a permit).
  • Four cases for Morning Dew Estate LLC (CE26-0556, CE26-0568, CE26-0570, CE26-0571): The property owner stated he could not afford to connect to city sewer or complete necessary repairs and was selling the property. The board voted to impose daily fines as per the previous order across all four properties.
  • Lien case (2019_2169 - Maggie Lee Flax EST): The property owner's daughter requested leniency. The board voted to impose a lien only for hard costs (prosecution and demolition), waiving all daily fines.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous votes on all motions, including:
    • Approval of minutes.
    • Continuance of environmental cases.
    • Waiver of $600 fine for Magnolia Trace LLC.
    • Extension for Cynthia Brigham (30 days for permit, 60 days to complete).
    • Extension for Kinesha Reynolds to October 8, 2026.
    • Lien reduction for Noah Hernandez ($5,253 total).
    • Finding of violation for Jamie Rogers with prosecution costs.
    • Imposition of daily fines for Morning Dew Estate LLC properties.
    • Lien for hard costs only on Maggie Lee Flax EST property.
    • Approval of consent agenda for liens and extensions.
  • The next regular meeting is scheduled for September 10, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Oh yeah, okay. Yeah, no we're wrong. Ms. Shirley, would you be mind doing the invocation? Okay. Thank you. I get it from everyone. Ready? The session of the municipal code enforcement board is now in session. We can all rise for the invocation and the budget of legends. Let us bow heads in prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, we come before thy throne of grace giving thee thanks. Your word says I will lift up mine eyes to the heels from with cometh my help. And we ask, oh God, that you help us with our deliberations here today. We ask, oh God, that you bless our city, bless our officials, both locally, statewide, and nationwide. Keep us, oh God, under the umbrella of your love and care. It is in Jesus' name I pray. Amen. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. If we have a roll call, please. All righty. Shirley Wright here. Darrell O'Kane. Here. Kevin Steiner. Here. Eddie Ferrentino. Present. Bruce Gonsteth? Here. Charles Hannah. Here. We have a quorum. All right. Proof of publication was public on published on August third, 2026. We have minutes that need to be approved from last time. Did everybody get a chance to read the minutes? Would anybody like to make a motion? Yes, I move the adoption of the minutes. I have a first by Miss Shirley Wright. Do I have a second? Bruce Gonson's second. Second by Mr. Gones. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. We can have the swearing in of the officers, please. Do you swear or affirm that the testimony you're about to give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

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