Franklin County, FL Code Violation Reporting: How to Report (2026)

Section 2-6 of the Franklin County Code sets the enforcement framework for every ordinance in this chapter, from animal control to flood-damage prevention. 30 wholesale, and it may designate one or more special magistrates itself or delegate that appointment to the county attorney. Once designated, a special magistrate holds the same status, jurisdiction and authority as a code enforcement board, meaning the magistrate can hold a hearing on a reported violation and assess fines and penalties directly, without convening a multi-member board. The section also preserves the county's other enforcement options: subsection (c) states that nothing in Section 2-6 stops Franklin County from enforcing its codes and ordinances by any other legal means.

Two other Chapter 1 provisions round out what happens after a violation is reported. Section 1-7, the Code's general penalty clause, makes it unlawful to violate any Code provision that lacks its own penalty; a first violation is prosecuted like a misdemeanor in the name of the State of Florida, punishable by up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in the county jail, or both, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. Section 1-8 gives the Board of County Commissioners a civil alternative: in addition to any statutory penalty, the board may bring a civil action to remedy a violation rather than pursue a criminal case or a magistrate hearing.