On July 24, 2023, the Board of County Commissioners adopted Ordinance No. 2023-021, replacing the Code Enforcement Board with a Special Magistrate, in an effort to improve the code enforcement process and better serve the community.
 
A Code Enforcement Special Magistrate is a local government attorney with demonstrated training and experience to hear and resolve code enforcement cases. In general, the code enforcement process will remain the same with notice and hearings pursuant to Florida Law but will now include the ability of the County to abate violations that threaten the health, safety and welfare of the public. 
 
The complete transition from a Code Enforcement Board to a Code Enforcement Special Magistrate will take place by April 1, 2024.
 
At this time, the County is seeking proposals from an experienced and qualified individual attorney or law firm to serve as a Code Enforcement Special Magistrate.  The selected firm or individual will fulfill duties set forth in the Ordinance by Chapter 162, Part 1, Florida Statues.
 
To view the County’s Request for Proposal #NC23-053, please visit: https://nassaufl.co/CodeMagistrate.
 
If you have any questions regarding the new code enforcement process or the need for a Special Magistrate, please contact the Nassau County Attorney’s Office at (904) 530-6100. However, if you have any questions related to the Request for Proposal or submitting a bid, please contact our Procurement Director, Lanaee Gilmore, at (904) 530-6040.
 
-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

7/10/23 @ 4:55 p.m.

​At the Monday, June 27, 2023 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners heard a presentation from Assistant County Attorney, Abigail Jorandby, regarding possible amendments to the County's code enforcement process, including the dissolution of the Code Enforcement Board and the appointment of a Special Magistrate to hear and decide on code enforcement cases. 

Currently, property owners that fail to comply violations on their property within the time frame provided by a code enforcement officer are sent to the Code Enforcement Board for a determination and possible imposition of a fine/lien against the property. Under the proposal, a Special Magistrate would be appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to hear code enforcement cases and render decisions as to code enforcement violations. Typically, a Special Magistrate is a local attorney who is familiar with local government code of ordinances, code enforcement processes under Florida Statutes, rules of evidence, and quasi-judicial hearing procedures. 

Notably, Chapter 162, Florida Statutes, permits the appointment of a Special Magistrate and many jurisdictions throughout the State of Florida have recently moved to this process, recognizing that the legal training and experience of a Special Magistrate results in a more fair and expeditious process for all parties involved. In addition to the implementation of a code enforcement Special Magistrate, the proposed changes include the ability of the County to abate or correct violations that "threaten public health, safety and welfare or imminent destruction of habitat or sensitive resources". Thus, under this proposal, the County would have the ability to enter onto property for the single purpose of correcting a health, safety and welfare violation and to place a lien against the property to recover any associated costs. 

In addition, Ms. Jorandby noted that under the proposed ordinance changes, the daily fine amounts will remain the same, however, the maximum fine amount for a code enforcement lien will be limited to no more than 35% of the assessed value of the property, thereby limiting the actual total amount that a code enforcement lien could accrue. 

The new Ordinance would also allow the Special Magistrate to hear and decide on cases involving:  

• Land Development code violations
• Zoning code violations
• Unsafe structures violations

The proposed Ordinance will be considered for adoption at a public hearing to be held on Monday, July 24, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. To view the proposed Ordinance, please click here. 

If you have any questions, please contact the Nassau County Attorney's Office at (904) 530-6100.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer 
 

7/13/21 @ 1:45 p.m. - On June 29, 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis approved Senate Bill 60 which no longer allows code enforcement officers appointed by boards of county commissioners to investigate anonymous complaints. The new Bill went into effect on July 1, 2021. All code enforcement reports must now include the complainant's personal information including name and address.

The new law does outline an exception which states, "This does not apply if the person designated as a code inspector has reason to believe the violation presents an imminent threat to public health, safety, or welfare or imminent destruction of habitat or sensitive resources".

To approved Senate Bill can be viewed here.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

6/7/21 @ 5:00 p.m. - At the May 24, 2021 meeting, the Board approved Resolution No. 2021-087 proclaiming the week of June 7 through June 11, 2021 as Code Enforcement Appreciation Week.

Code Enforcement Officers provide for the safety, health, and welfare of the citizens in this community through the enforcement of building, zoning, housing, animal control, fire safety, environmental and other codes, and ordinances.

Often, their efforts go unnoticed, however Nassau County's Code Enforcement Officers work hard for compliance to keep our community clean and safe! They are dedicated, well trained, and highly responsible individuals who take their jobs seriously and are proud of their department and the local government within which they serve.

We appreciate them and everything they do for the residents. Please take time this week to learn more about Code Enforcement and if you see a Code Enforcement Officer, tell them thank you for their service and dedication.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Officer

5/27/21 @ 8:30 p.m. - At the meeting held on Wednesday, May 19th, the Board approved Resolution No. 2021-083, honoring Mike Favors on his retirement after 19 years of service.

Mike began his employment with Nassau County on November 26, 2001 as a Custodial Worker. He transferred to Code Enforcement in April 2005 where he spent the next 16 years serving as a Code Enforcement Officer. Over the years, Mike has become a favorite of the community due to his outgoing personality, his dedication to his job, and his glowing smile.

Mike has served the community with passion and integrity and has earned the respect of most residents he has come in contact with. Mike has said many times, he works for compliance, not to write tickets, and he meant it! He worked closely with property owners to teach them the County's codes and and to help them gain compliance on their property in lieu of having to appear before the Code Enforcement Board.

Mike is also loved and respected by many employees of the County, several of which attended the meeting to express their gratitude to him for always making them smile, even on the worst of days. County Manager, Taco Pope, credited Mike for being his mentor when he began his employment with the County in 2005 and playing a role in his professional development. He stated, "Mike exemplifies public service. The most important thing he taught me was that our goal is to solve problems and help people. There are many, many instances where Mike changed people's lives. People who were drowning under liens, and debt, and physical impairments, and problems with their properties. He resolved them by going above and beyond the call of duty".

Mike's last day to tomorrow and while we will all miss him dearly, we are happy for him as he enters into this next phase of his life.

-Sabrina Robertson
 Public Information Office

9/8/20 @ 4:00 p.m. - The Code Enforcement Board has a meeting scheduled for 6:30 pm tonight. To access the agenda, please click here.

The meeting is open to the public and measures have been implemented to allow for social distancing if attending in person. This includes use of masks, hand sanitizer, and additional seating, monitors and speakers outside of the Board Room.

Individuals not wishing to attend in person can participate remotely via the following methods:

ZOOM/Webinar
Join ZOOM meeting here
Password: 987321

Use the "raise hand" feature within the ZOOM App to notify the Chairman if you would like to speak when your item comes up on the agenda.

By Phone:
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13017158592,,89592614519#,,,,,,0#,,987321#  or +13126266799,,89592614519#,,,,,,0#,,987321#

Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 301 715 8592  or +1 312 626 6799  or +1 346 248 7799  or +1 646 558 8656  or +1 669 900 9128  or +1 253 215 8782
Webinar ID: 895 9261 4519
Passcode: 987321

If participating by phone, hit *9 when your item comes up to notify the Chairman you would like to speak. You can follow along online by watching the meeting remotely on the Clerk's website.

-Sabrina Robertson
 County Manager's Office