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One of the biggest complaints, if not the biggest, is the lack of code enforcement in Lake Worth. Every where you drive there is an unsightly mess to witness. Some of the same properties have been in violation for a year if not years and it is the biggest complaint that we have as citizens...home owners ignoring our codes and not keeping their properties up to snuff, blighting our neighborhoods, breeding crime and more slum.
A lesson is to be learned here. I have been sitting on a story for weeks regarding our code enforcement Department, hoping that its tribulations would be discussed publicly at a commission meeting. It's been over a month now when the report first came out and still, to this day, it has not been discussed by any commissioner or the city manager. It is not on tomorrow night's agenda either.
Kenneth Oakes, the Internal auditor, put out a critique on our code enforcement department on May 23, and it isn't pretty.
In his approach, he reviewed the personnel qualifications, complaints and code violations as reported and what the code officers did including direct observation and if the violations were properly handled. In his findings he found that "the prior work experience and skill levels of the employees in the division and their performance in their jobs may not be conducive to fulfilling the mission of the division." Over 2,500 complaints regarding code violations were received in the last fiscal year.
In his report, he critiqued ten code employees who have salaries ranging from $32,000 up to $57,000. Only one employee had nothing negative in her file. One had some small complaint and one newly hired officer did not have any experience. You have to start somewhere and no experience is not necessarily a negative.
Read the PBPost article and read what dismal shape we are in.
You got the title wrong. There is NO CODE ENFORCEMENT in Lake Worth.
ReplyDeleteSure would like to read the report. Can you post it Lynn?
ReplyDeletePart of his report was indicative of the problem with the Sate Statute dealing with code enforcement. The law cannot force an owner to clean up his property, only notify him of the violations and then fine him on a per day basis for the violations.
ReplyDeleteProblem, once the property is cited, nothing else happens. Fines start to accrue and only if they try to sell does anything happen.
An example of the attitude we have in our code department is when the CRA initiated a Neighborhood Enhancement Team to attempt to address the blight and slum conditions in the Western neighborhoods, you'd think that someone from the code enforcement department would have attended. They were definitely invited and are pivotal in any changes benefiting the residents there.
The CRA was there, the Commission was represented, the Public Works and PBSO were there. No code!
Unreal. How can we accomplish anything without the cooperation of code?
It's in a pdf file and my server won't allow uploading to theirs in order to post it. However, you can get it through public information or send me your e-mail and I will forward it to you.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke, this city is a joke. Right there is no code enforcement here, a huge joke, so many blighted, dumpy, overgrown places and the city just can't clean anything up. The corruption, lies, cover-up, ineffectiveness, really this is just recently, how long has this CM been on board now? He should be fired, this is an embarrassment to our city and people. Shame on the mayor, comm. and CM, we all deserve better in this city. Hold their feet tot he fire Lynn,t hanks for all you do to expose the corrupt ineffective government we have "trying" to run this city.
ReplyDelete"Audit slaps Lake Worth’s code enforcement as city grapples for better way to enforce rules
Posted: 12:55 p.m. Sunday, June 30, 2013
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By Willie Howard - Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
LAKE WORTH —
Employees of the city’s code compliance division — the city staffers charged with protecting lives and improving neighborhoods by enforcing building, zoning and housing codes — have been cited themselves for poor attendance, conflicts with other employees and falsification of inspection results.
Those are some of the findings of a code division audit completed in May by Kenneth Oakes, the city’s internal auditor."
we dont have a code dept that has ever worked they just drive around doing nothing or they are parked somewhere doing something else--the proff--just look at our city---case closed----
ReplyDeleteLet's all put our big boys and girls pants on for a minute.
ReplyDeleteSaying the Code Enforcement people are at fault is like saying the low level IRS employees suddenly decided to target people and shake them down. Bull.
A large majority of the ignored properties are bank-owned now and they have no intention of following the code. I can give you lots of examples where Code Enforcement looked the other way for the banks.
And there are a small group of "real estate" and "property management" individuals that always seem to be in the middle, raking off from one thing or another.
To those individuals I would say that we all know who you are and you better clean up your Chase properties and the others... We are all sick of it.
Problem is mb, we don't know who you are talking about or what properties. Please give examples of property address(s) and we can find the pm.
ReplyDeleteThere is a case where a citizen took the time to go up and down the streets in her neighborhood and specifically list each property that should be in some sort of code procedure.
This information was sent through Com., AA to code where he received a terse reply from Racquel Diaz showing which ones (less than half) were in the system and that many of the ones that were not were considered "just cosmetic" violations, not worthy of the complaint.
So you are right, is must come from the top.
Yes, like Scott Maxwell runnin his "property management" business in Lake Worth? Can anyone say "Conflict"?
ReplyDeleteSmall Town Lake Worth with Commissions elected with the lowest element's, slanderous ,hate mongers' rumors and cowardly mailers,,got what the apathetic high tax payers deserve. Disrespectful,arrogant, ignorant of all City business, costing us millions,Commission seat occupants, with no record of achievement ,which enriched the City.Public servants must be humble,we pay them.
ReplyDeleteWe,who lead our dignified ,disciplined, law abiding quiet lives ,just pay our bills on time, high taxes,are targeted by that vermin, foulest,losers element of the City of Lake Worth,with their slanderous, malicious ,cowardly sent ,hate mail.This vermin, offspring of unsabory parents. have been sofar succesful in spreading their poisonous, City undermining lies, that foul element's only mastery.
This cowardly cancer of Lake Worth, will continue, until Lake Worth proper,honoable,polite, Citizens, stand up and elect a qualified, moral, with sterling character, and brilliant record of achievements for Lake Worth,profound knowledge of Municipal Laws and business, Candidate.
Not more of the present lot,elected with false promises and outright lies, with their pauper mentality,keeping Lake Worth poor and starting the Dunbar vllage style ambiance,with low income developments,securing
future slums and more crime!
We know this City,with Palm Beach Island Beach, can make millions with its' assets, not one Commission member has the knowledge,education,talent to develop that enormous potential.
This Commission gave $2.600,000 of lake Worth Citizen taxpayers'money, to a Company which did nothing for the City but sue, for an illegal Contract which
not one Commission member has read.Attornys,with knowledge, Lewis,Longman and Walker would have prevented it, but as Mr.McNamara,with knowledge of that harmful odious, Contract and City Laws, suggested it, the arrogant, ignorants summarily rejected it, costing Citizens wasted $2,600,000
,- Why did Maxwell not prevent it?
He is right ,nobody gives a damn!
Is Lake Worth againa going to listen to slander,devious lies of the vermin and re-elect the same useless lot sofar?Which takes credit for projects they could not have come up with.
The present Commission has no idea as to how to create reveneu, while the assets lay unutilized.
ReplyDeletetheir only ignorant answer to financing needed services
We ignorants don't have the money:
Not finishing the sentence by saying, we are totally incapable of creating revenue with the City visible to simpletons, ,resources!
Hi there! Came across this blog while researching ''code violation''. I'm an out of town buyer hoping to get a run down house that we'd fix and live in it with my family. The big problem we encounter is that a house that's worth 50k has over 250k in code violations that keep growing on daily basis. Now ,the result is that anyone in their right mind will continue to stay away from these (quite a few) so they'll probably continue to look neglected and abandoned for a very long time. I truly believe that a new buyer should not have to clean up the financial mess they're in, if they wave these fees for banks, why can't they wave them for the little guy?
ReplyDeleteI believe that they would wave these violations if a buyer were to right the wrongs on this property. Contact William Waters at the City of Lake Worth and work out a deal.
ReplyDeleteI am new to this Blog an Lake Worth. In Aug 2014 I bought a 16 unit apartment building in Lake Worth and now I have a minor code violation that has escalated to thousands of dollars for the city wanting to enforce new, unachievable codes on a 40+year old property. These costs are excluding fines of $75/day. Is there someone that can help. Attorney, logical city official, etc.
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed with the character of Lake Worth but I'm starting to regret my decision.