Sec. 518.102. - Legislative intent and findings.

(a) The City finds and declares that there is a need to consolidate all existing Municipal Code provisions related to property safety and maintenance into one Chapter of the Ordinance Code; to assign the responsibility for the enforcement of the safety and maintenance provisions of this Chapter to the Municipal Code Compliance Division of the Neighborhoods Department; and to assign the functions of settlement, collection and inventorying of special assessment liens to the Finance and Administration Department and the Real Estate Division of the City's Public Works Department. There is also a need to create a uniform enforcement system for the violation of this Chapter of the Ordinance Code and to provide for minimum safety and maintenance standards for all commercial and residential properties within the City of Jacksonville. (b) The City finds and declares public nuisances those conditions that endanger the public health and welfare or safety of the community; and it is within its police powers to declare any condition that endangers the general health, welfare and safety of the inhabitants a public nuisance, and the City is empowered to prevent, abate, and remove nuisances, to include not only the abating of an unsafe and unsanitary condition, but also the destruction and removal of any unsafe structure. The City further finds and declares that the abatement of the public nuisances provides a special benefit to the property in the form of added use and enjoyment which further enhances the value of the property. Therefore the debt associated with the City's action is a special assessment. (c) There is a need to create a mechanism to bring most abandoned properties into productivity. Abandoned properties constitute a burden on City's resources and a waste of valuable City's assets. The City has concluded that the rehabilitation of abandoned or neglected properties is an important City objective. (Ord. 96-458-297, § 1; Ord. 2006-1363-E, § 1; Ord. 2011-732-E; Ord. 2013-209-E, § 40; Ord. 2016-140-E , § 16) Editor's note— Ordinance 2007-839-E, § 18, authorized updated department/division names pursuant to reorganization.