Living near a dilapidated home or one with overgrown landscaping can be stressful for an entire neighborhood. The eyesore can bring down property values and may even become unsafe.
To eradicate the problem, the Miami Lakes town council voted unanimously on April 15 to begin the foreclosure process against 70 owners of commercial, industrial and non-homesteaded residential properties that have unresolved liens.
“Imagine if one of these blighted properties were the house right next to yours?” Town Manager Edward Pidermann said that night. “We want these properties to be brought into compliance and be reflective of the Miami Lakes way.”
Pidermann said that when he was appointed town manager in 2019, “the opinion was that we could not foreclose on code enforcement liens.”
But a study of the town code and state law found they only protect an owner’s residence, a property with homestead status, he said.
Since 2024, the town has had 124 property owners who were cited and did not respond to notices of code violations. Eventually, 54 of those properties were “cured,” meaning owners paid their fines or did repairs, Pidermann said. Owners of 70 properties still have liens on them.
“That means they have gone through the entire process,” Pidermann said. “They were warned, they didn’t do anything. They were cited and they didn’t do anything. They had an opportunity to go before the special magistrate and didn’t appeal, didn’t do anything … and had a lien put on the property. Those liens sat there for months sometimes, sometimes for years.”
Those who have liens on a property, whether homesteaded or not, may want to resolve them prior to Aug. 1, when a more expensive fine payment schedule begins.
After gaining the council’s support, Pidermann said a review of cases will begin.
Town Attorney Raul Gastesi will confirm outstanding liens and amounts and research titles to verify who owns the properties.
“To me, code enforcement is extremely important in this town,” Gastesi said, adding, “I’m not in the business of wanting to take anybody’s property away.”
A property owner will have 15 days from receipt of a final letter and copy of a foreclosure lawsuit, or a notice posted on their door, to contact the town and begin remedying problems at the address.
If the owner doesn’t follow up with the town, a foreclosure lawsuit will be filed with county court. The final step is sale of the property to satisfy the liens.
Foreclosing on properties will take time as each situation will be unique, Pidermann said during the council meeting.
“We don’t want these properties,” Pidermann said. “We want these, for the sake of the neighborhood … to be brought into compliance.”
Mayor Josh Dieguez said his decision to support the program was not one that he took lightly, but that it was about “getting back to basics in Miami Lakes.”
“Some people may criticize us as being snobby,” Dieguez said. “But we do take pride in our appearance. The fact is that we are a very rules-driven community with a higher standard than many others.”
He said if the legal process to bring a home into compliance goes to a trial, property owners will then be able to defend their rights and show either why town records are wrong or they can settle the case.