SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio boarding home owner facing a judge Tuesday in 33 code enforcement cases was given another month to correct the remaining issues after prosecutors conceded he had recently made progress at the troubled property.
Dr. Federico Padua, 83, made a brief appearance before San Antonio Municipal Court Judge Peter A. Zamora.
KSAT was allowed to record video of the proceedings but was not permitted to record audio.
Padua was ordered to go to court after not complying for months with Code Enforcement actions at his boarding home located at 903 W. Craig Place.
The troubled property, which is the only San Antonio boarding home to be cited since the summer of 2018, racked up more than 50 violations recently.
Repeated investigations by San Antonio Code Enforcement officers this spring uncovered a long list of issues, including operating without a proper permit, residents not being given access to a phone with the required list of emergency numbers, and the facility not being free of insects, rodents and other pests.
The property was also cited after code enforcement officers found incorrect emergency evacuation plans posted in the home’s bedrooms and kitchen and determined that annual criminal background checks for staff were not provided.
A city prosecutor and Code Enforcement manager revealed in court Tuesday that all 25 physical issues with the property have been corrected.
Padua remains out of compliance on the remaining eight cases, however, all of which pertain to permitting of the property and getting background checks processed.
Judge Zamora reset the case to Nov. 15, giving Padua an additional month to get his home’s paperwork in order.
If Padua had not come into compliance by Tuesday, he could have been convicted on misdemeanor criminal citations or faced fines well into the thousands of dollars.
“It was a dilapidated place, once upon a time. But than I improved it gradually,” Padua said after his court appearance Tuesday.
A contractor that has helped improve the condition of the property noted that six people currently live at the home, which has a licensed capacity of 27.
“We got everything cleaned up, everything fixed, the holes and everything. Now it just needs a cosmetic lift,” said contractor Brandon Bradshaw. “We have nothing to hide here. We’re actually paying people who are trying to do things by the book. There are lots of other boarding homes out there that are being illegally done and not reported, and that’s what the city is trying to crack down on.”
Appraisal records show Padua has owned the property since 2003.