Orange Co. code enforcement takes landlord to court

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — An Orange County landlord who's racked up more than $7 million in code enforcement fines is being taken to court by the county.

Orange County Code Enforcement said most of Antonio Dimauro's Holden Heights properties are in compliance now, but he's accrued hundreds of thousands of dollars in code enforcement liens.

Now, the county is seeking a final judgment that would allow it to take ownership of more than a half dozen of Dimauro's properties should commissioners decide to move forward.

The county said it hopes to use the judgment to take care of the condemned properties.

"The bad news is Dimauro has a lot of substandard properties. The good news is we're going to seek ownership," said Orange County Code Enforcement Manger Robert Spivey.

If the county gets ownership, it said it will likely demolish the houses and look for someone to redevelop the properties.

Code Enforcement said it will likely ask Orange County Commissioners if they want to take ownership of Dimauro's properties in January or February of next year.

WFTV