125.69  Penalties; enforcement by code inspectors.--

(1)  Violations of county ordinances shall be prosecuted in the same manner as misdemeanors are prosecuted. Such violations shall be prosecuted in the name of the state in a court having jurisdiction of misdemeanors by the prosecuting attorney thereof and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed 60 days or by both such fine and imprisonment. However, a county may specify, by ordinance, a violation of a county ordinance which is punishable by a fine in an amount exceeding $500, but not exceeding $2,000 a day, if the county must have authority to punish a violation of that ordinance by a fine in an amount greater than $500 in order for the county to carry out a federally mandated program.

(2)  The board of county commissioners of each county may designate its agents or employees as code inspectors whose duty it is to assure code compliance. Any person designated as a code inspector may issue citations for violations of county codes and ordinances, respectively, or subsequent amendments thereto, when such code inspector has actual knowledge that a violation has been committed.

(a)  Prior to issuing a citation, a code inspector shall provide notice to the violator that the violator has committed a violation of a code or ordinance and shall establish a reasonable time period within which the violator must correct the violation. Such time period shall be no more than 30 days. If, upon personal investigation, a code inspector finds that the violator has not corrected the violation within the time period, a code inspector may issue a citation to the violator. A code inspector does not have to provide the violator with a reasonable time period to correct the violation prior to issuing a citation and may immediately issue a citation if the code inspector has reason to believe that the violation presents a serious threat to the public health, safety, or welfare, or if the violation is irreparable or irreversible.

(b)  A citation issued by a code inspector shall state the date and time of issuance, name and address of the person in violation, date of the violation, section of the codes or ordinances, or subsequent amendments thereto, violated, name of the code inspector, and date and time when the violator shall appear in county court.

(c)  Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to authorize any person designated as a code inspector to perform any function or duties of a law enforcement officer other than as specified in this subsection. A code inspector shall not make physical arrests or take any person into custody and shall be exempt from requirements relating to the Special Risk Class of the Florida Retirement System, bonding, and the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, as defined and provided by general law.

¹(d)  The provisions of this subsection shall not apply to the enforcement pursuant to ss. 553.79 and 553.80 of building codes adopted pursuant to s. 553.73 as they apply to construction, provided that a building permit is either not required or has been issued by the county. For the purposes of this paragraph, "building codes" means only those codes adopted pursuant to s. 553.73.

(e)  The provisions of this subsection may be used by a county in lieu of the provisions of part II of chapter 162.

(f)  The provisions of this subsection are additional or supplemental means of enforcing county codes and ordinances. Except as provided in paragraph (e), nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a county from enforcing its codes or ordinances by any other means.

History.--s. 3, ch. 69-234; ss. 1, 2, ch. 70-452; s. 1, ch. 79-379; s. 12, ch. 89-268; s. 1, ch. 90-37; s. 1, ch. 98-287.

¹Note.--Section 1, ch. 98-287, amended paragraph (d) of subsection (2), effective January 1, 2001, to read: