Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo Nominates Christi Tasker To Code Enforcement Board, Joe Carollo Didn't Object

New City of Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo Nominates Christi Tasker to Miami Code Enforcement Board of Directors

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, May 26, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Newly elected City of Miami Commissioner Damian Pardo nominated his past District 2 competitor, Christi Tasker, to the City of Miami Code Enforcement Board and Nuisance Abatement Board.

Mrs. Tasker was unanimously approved by all City of Miami Commissioners on February 22, 2024. Commissioners that voted unanimously include Chairwoman Christine King, Vice Chair Joe Carollo, Commissioner Manolo Reyes, Commissioner Miguel Gabela, and Commissioner Damian Pardo.

"I look forward to serving citizens with integrity, just as I do professionally. Code violation notices can be scary and costly, both in time and financially. Nuisances cause citizens' quality of life. Our citizens deserve board members who will show up, hear their cases, and address them respectfully and promptly without undo stress."

The Department of Code Compliance is responsible for promptly addressing and responding to all code violations and must adhere to due process, as in Chapter 162 of the Florida Statutes.

Mrs. Tasker says, "I will educate our residents and seek compliance on more than 350+ civil infractions and what to do when there are nuisance issues in their neighborhoods. Our citizens deserve to understand what they're doing wrong and given proper resolutions to correct the violations, most of which they never knew existed."

Mrs. Tasker attended her first Code Enforcement and Nuisance Abatement Board meetings on February 28, 2024. Her first vote was to abstain from voting for the chairwoman, Yvonne Bayonas, on both boards.

"I did not know the Chairwoman or her abilities to run either Board. Considering Ms. Bayonas was named personally in the Ball & Chain lawsuit with Joe Carollo, I did not believe we should vote for a leader named in a lawsuit for revoking citizens' First Amendment rights. During the meeting, I was glad I was the solo abstainer, as Ms. Bayona refused to comply with Roberts's Rules of Order and silenced citizens and residents to take matters to a vote."

Miami businessmen William Fuller and Martin Pinilla and over a dozen other companies filed what Miamians dub the "Ball & Chain" lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Case No. 1:23-cv-24251-FAM.

During the February 28th meeting, Christi Tasker informed the Code Enforcement Chairwoman and former Judge Martin Zilber about the code violations and 24/7 security solutions already required for other unsafe buildings under construction or undergoing demolition.

One of the code violations was the old commercial complex Vitas building in downtown Miami, across from Bayfront Park. Before the Vita's building was slated for demolition, it became a downtown eyesore during Art Basel Miami.

By the second meeting, Mrs. Tasker motioned to remove the Chairwoman. The motion was not seconded.

The City of Miami Code Enforcement Board's purpose is to oversee the issue of orders that have the force of law and command whatever steps are necessary to bring a Code violation into compliance. Citizens often come before the Board to be heard and to request more time to resolve code enforcement violations.

The City of Miami website states, "Our mission IS compliance. We seek to promote and protect the health, safety, welfare, and quality of life of the City of Miami residents, businesses, and tourists. We also seek to enforce our city codes consistently and equitably."

Ultimately, the city codes are meant to maintain Miami's neighborhoods and the community's quality of life. All codes are to be enforced in all city ordinances promptly and equitably. Before Ms. Tasker's arrival on the Board, there was rarely a quorum, meaning meeting notices were sent to residents. Residents may have arrived, but not enough Board members were present to hold a legal meeting. Therefore, residents' issues could not be heard, their fines could increase, and the number of days they were seen as uncompliant increased.

Some of the most common code violations include:

1. Failure to maintain a lot in a safe, clean condition
2. Outside storage where landowners assume they can use their property however they see fit.
3. Graffiti on the property. (Call 311 to report Graffiti)
4. Failure to maintain the exterior of a commercial or residential property.
5. Parking or storage of inoperable or untagged vehicles (Report an Abandoned Vehicle)
6. Work performed without a finalized permit (Report Construction Work Without Permit)
7. Illegally parking a commercial vehicle in a residential zone
8. Failure to obtain a Certificate of Use or Business Tax Receipt for the type of business conducted
9. Illegal dumping (Report Illegal Dumping)
10. Improper stationing of a recreational watercraft
11. Erection, construction, posting of a sign without a finalized sign permit
12. Parking on unimproved surfaces
13. Failure to register a vacant structure, illegal units, vacant, blighted, unsecured, or abandoned structures, among many others. (Report an Abandoned Property or Register Vacant or Abandoned Structure
14. Conducting short-term vacation rentals (for less than 30 days and 1 day) in single-family zoning districts.

"Short-term rentals are among the biggest nuisances to nearby residents, costing taxpayers millions in public services such as fire & police services. I have asked the City Attorney's office to draft legislation to present to the Florida legislation to prevent the nuisance, to begin with," says Christi Tasker.

Nuisance Abatement Ordinances require property and business owners to eliminate public nuisances. The Nuisance Abatement Board members are the same board as the Code Enforcement Board.

CHRISTI TASKER
Tasker Agency
+1 305-998-7228
info@taskeragency.com
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Tasker confirms some vacant buildings in City of Miami are required to have 24/7 security to prevent homeless camps, graffiti bombers, life safety issues.