Fight Against Code Violators Ongoing - from TBO.com
Fred Pilot passes along this example from HOA-loaded Tampa, FL, of a phenomenon I've been pointing out recently: cities that seem to be starting to emulate HOAs in the severity with which they approach code enforcement:

Mayor Pam Iorio made code enforcement a priority when she took office in April 2003. She followed that by signing an executive order in March that allows the city to foreclose on property owners who do not pay fines for violations. Along the way, she gave code inspectors laptops to enable them to spend more time on the streets and less in the office. She also helped streamline code violation cases in the criminal justice system by establishing a criminal code enforcement division. The council last month approved stiffer fines for code violators. Maximum fines for first-time offenders increase from $250 a day to $1,000 a day. Maximum fines for repeat violators climb from $500 a day to $5,000. People who repeatedly break city codes and don't pay fines could wind up in jail. A few people have.