Daytona Beach To Foreclose On Several Code-Violating Properties

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Daytona Beach, FL - Update: The Daytona Beach City Commission has come to an agreement on a few of the code-violating properties that owe the City millions of dollars in fines. In a 6-0 unanimous vote, Commissioners agreed to postpone a decision on the 640 N. Grandview Ave. property until the City Commission meeting on August 2. This decision was reached after the owner's lawyer asked for a continuance due to extenuating circumstances at the property, explaining that there has been litigation between the landlord and tenant beyond just the code violations and fines. Commissioners listened to input from the public on the other three properties. The bulk of the concern was related to the 600 N. Ridegewood Ave. property, the J Food Store, where the owner is being fined for noncompliance and for bills relating to police and ambulance calls, totaling about $50,000 together. The owner maintains that drug activity and consequent police and ambulance calls are not his fault, but the fault of the many homeless in the area. Police maintain that the owner could have and should have done something about it sooner. The City Commission ultimately decided to proceed with foreclosures for the 3 properties at 600 N. Ridegewood Ave., 128 S. Wild Olive Ave. and 537 Martin Luther King Blvd in a 5-1 vote. One Commissioner offered a warning after the vote that the costs of some of the properties may exceed their values and that the Commission must be dedicated to cleaning up the area. Earlier Reporting: The Daytona Beach City Commission is in session on Wednesday night and commissioners will spend some time considering whether or not to move forward with foreclosure proceedings on properties in the city that have outstanding code enforcement liens. There are hundreds of property owners who collectively owe the city close to $4.5 million in code violation fine payments, but not all of them have substantial superior liens or mortgages - meaning they're not subject to bankruptcy proceedings and therefore don't satisfy the legal and practical considerations for foreclosure. The city attorney, Rober Jagger, has identified several properties that meet the criteria for foreclosure. The City Commission's being asked to approve foreclosure proceedings on the following properties:

(Chart courtesy the City of Daytona Beach)

If the city's foreclosure efforts are successful, Daytona Beach will either collect on the outstanding liens or gain ownership of the property through judicial sale. Whichever party comes out on top is entitled to recover costs, including reasonable attorney's fees. Photo courtesy designer491 and Shutterstock.com. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2017.