Tall grass fines continue

The Longboat Key Code Enforcement Board continues to levy fines against property owners who haven’t mowed their yards.

The board issued an order to file a lien on a house at 521 Ranger Lane at its Monday, June 8 regular meeting after hearing that owner Tina Valente failed to cut her grass and keep it below the town-mandated level of 12 inches for the second time.

The code board ordered Valente to pay $385 worth of administrative costs and $50 for each day the grass was in violation, for a total of $1,185 worth of fines.

But, the underlying problem is that many of the cases involve homes that have fallen into foreclosure, in which case the code board levies the fines as a lien on the properties.

The code board has the authority to fine property owners up to $200 per day for failure to cut their lawns.