Cops Corner - 10-2002

City on a contractual basis. The Code Enforcement Hearing Officer is an attorney who acts as an impartial judge on code enforcement issues/cases that are unresolved by the Code Enforcement Officer. The Code Enforcement Hearing Officer will make rulings and determine actions to be taken on such cases in much the same way as the City Code Enforcement Board did in the past. The City Commission has been very clear in its direction to improve the physical appearance of the City by enforcing compliance of City Codes. Many citizens have complained about the many unsightly properties that are evident throughout the City.

The Code Enforcement Officer and the Lake Helen Police Department have the duty to enforce property maintenance and zoning issues that have been adopted by the City Commission. The codes have been approved to maintain health, safety, and property values of all citizens of Lake Helen. Through education we can work together to prevent violations from re-occurring. If you were to travel through the City you would find much work has already been done to clean up the most flagrant of violations.

You can contact Patrick Clarino, Code Enforcement Officer, during regular business hours 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at 386-228-2145, or you can go into City Hall between 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Complaints filed by phone can be left anonymously, but must include the property address and the nature of the complaint. In most cases, actions by the Code Enforcement Office will be complaint driven. However, the City Commission does wish for the Code Enforcement Officer to take action without a complaint on the more flagrant violations.

The top 10 complaints the Code Enforcement Officer has been receiving are as follows:

1.   Overgrowth of vegetation and grass
2.   Abandoned or disabled motor vehicles
3.   Signs posted in the City right-of-way
4.   Illegal home offices operating within a residential neighborhood
5.   Construction alterations without permits
6.   Recreational vehicles parked/stored in open view in a residential neighborhood
7.   Business operating without occupational license
8.   Shrubbery blocking view of traffic
9.   Commercial vehicles parked/stored within residential neighborhood.
10. Vehicles parked within the front yard area

Upon receiving a complaint, the property is inspected and if a violation is found, notification of the violation is usually given by courtesy notice hand delivered or by telephone call or regular mail. Depending on the type of violation, a period of time, usually 7-14 days, is given to correct the violation. If uncorrected, a formal notice of violation is sent by certified mail advising the property owner of the nature of the violation and the date by which the violation must be corrected. If the violation remains uncorrected after the specified date, the matter is referred to the Code Enforcement Hearing Officer. Fines can be assessed or liens can be recorded against the property not complying with the code and could eventually result in foreclosure of the property. In most cases, code complaints are handled in priority according to the severity of the violation.

The City Commission and the citizens of this Lake Helen have given the Police Department a mandate to enforce the codes of the City and to have non-compliant properties brought into compliance. The objective of the Lake Helen Police Department is to achieve this mandate by working with the property owners to enhance their properties� maintenance conditions for better health, safety and property values. It is felt that a lot can be accomplished through voluntary compliance and by working with our citizens to achieve the end goal of a better Lake Helen.