CRESTVIEW — The City Council unanimously accepted a $15,000 settlement offer made by the Destin attorney representing the owner of property at 407 Lincoln St.
The owner had amassed fines totaling $148,000 at $250 per day for city code violations, city code enforcement officer Senida Ogelsby said.
Because the property is valued at only $28,000, Councilman JB Whitten said the likelihood of ever collecting the total fine was unlikely, so it made sense to accept the offer, which attorney Mark Violette presented to city attorney Jerry Miller.
Property owner Deborah Harper began accumulating the fines on Nov. 5, 2009, more than two years after she was first ordered to clean up the property.
The action also imposed a lien against the property until it was cleaned up and the fine paid. The lien affected the ability of Harper and her partners to sell a tract of land in Fort Walton Beach.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview accepts $15,000 settlement offer on $148K fine