Town CDD sees increase in permits/staff
A depleted community development department for the Town of Fort Myers Beach -one that has been feeling the effects of a recent record increase in permit activity- is getting some immediate, much-needed help.
FMB Town Manager Don Stilwell has hired former Lee County Principal Planner Matt Noble on a part-time basis to strengthen the department that “administers and enforces zoning and land development regulations, building regulations, coastal and flood regulations and local environmental standards” for promotion of present and future needs, while recognizing and promoting real property rights, according to the Town website.
Right now, Noble is working two days a week and his primary focus will be on zoning, says Stilwell.
“He is initially coming in part time,” the town manager said. “He was a key person in community development for the County. He always made presentations in front of the Board of Commissioners. I think the community will be well served.”
Noble, who is currently working as a consultant, could see his role expand into a full-time position if he completes his consulting work, blends in well with other Town staff and the full-time need is there.
“If he’s happy and we are happy, we may have a long-term relationship,” said Stilwell.
Noble has not been given a title at this time. He was in Town Hall working this past Monday.
“He will be a part of the community development effort,” said Stilwell. “The big thing is that he is very familiar with our building regulations and codes, since our codes are predicated from Lee County’s. He is already hitting the ground running.”
Noble’s hiring could be seen as a direct result of Council’s pleading to stabilize that part of Town staff. At Council’s Nov. 3 meeting, Mayor Anita Cereceda made an earnest request to hire a supervisor of sorts to aid in the department workload she calls “extraordinarily important to the future” of the town.
According to Town records, the month of October saw three recent records broken for the community development department, including 357 applications entered (next closest month was May of 2014 with 253 and an increase of 147 compared to September 2014); 569 department office visits (a record number for the second month in a row); and 748 community development department plan reviews (next closest was 595 in April 2014).
“They do the most important work relative to what this island will look like, and that kind of workload with that few people leaves too much room, too great a margin of error,” Cereceda said prior to Noble’s hiring. “I believe we have a void in that department. Someone (is needed to go) through the applications to help and oversee. The burden is too much for the people we have. It is extremely important to me that that department is shored up.”
Stilwell stated he had been looking into adding a key member to community development. At the meeting, he said he was trying to build internally, but could add “free agents” if necessary.
In the past weeks, former Permit Coordinator Belinda Smith has taken on the role of development services manager and former Planning Coordinator Josh Overmyer, who has worked with Noble when the two were with the County, is now titled as principal planner. The department also has two code enforcement officers, a permit coordinator and long-time Building Safety Services Coordinator Ken Miller, who handles both permits and inspections.
The community development department also provides staff support to the Town Council, Local Planning Agency and Historic Preservation Board for land development regulation matters and other matters as assigned.
“In my mind, if there is one area of the Town that should be the most critical, important department for the Town of Fort Myers Beach, it is community development,” Cereceda said on Nov. 3. “I would be thrilled if our community development department has the personnel resources they need.”
During that meeting, Councilwoman Rexann Hosafros pointed to the roughly tripling of permit applications in the past month, and defended the town manager by saying there was no way he could have forecasted that. Former Community Development Director Walter Fluegel and former Zoning Coordinator Leslee Dulmer are no longer part of the department.
“There have been huge changes that have gone on in that department in the past few months. Huge increases (in permit applications) have also occurred,” Hosafros said on Nov. 3. “I believe Mr. Stilwell is addressing the problem and has made appropriate changes so far. He may not be addressing them as fast as we would like to see that happen, but there are limits to what you can do. I am willing to trust him to continue to look at further modifications that he sees fit and to continue with his management of this department as his job.”
Councilwoman Summer Stockton has called the community development department “subpar” and believes it should be contracted out.
“I would contract it out if it eventually doesn’t get to a better standard,” she said.
Stilwell understands Stockton’s concern and stated he accepts the challenge.
“These people are truly working their buns off,” he said. “The work load is phenomenal. Overall, there are around 35 full-time employees for the Town with 12-13 work in public works and with another 12-16 working in parks and rec. We have a lot of hats.”
Stilwell, the longest serving manager in Lee County history with 16 years of service, has worked as an executive vice president/general manager, government administrator, town manager and even assistant director of finance and administration since 1970.
“I have worked a lot of jobs,” he said. “I have never worked under the intensity that I have worked under at Fort Myers Beach. There are so many issues at every level.”
BOX
Town Permit Activity Trend Report for October.
– Applications – 357 entered. This is a record number, the next closest month was May of 2014 with 253 applications entered. This is an increase of 147 compared to last month (September 2014) and an increase of 104 to that of May 2014.
– Office Visits – 569 visitors signed in to see staff members of the Community Development Team. This is a record number for the second month in a row.
– Emailed Permits- 72 received to the New Dedicated Permits email. This includes emailed permit applications and inspection affidavits. This program began Oct. 22, 2013, and officials are excited to see the comparisons this year.
– CDD Plan Reviews – 748 completed by the Community Development Team. This is a record number of plan reviews completed in one month, the next closest was 595 in April 2014. This is an increase of 153 compared to that of April 2014 and 218 to that of last month.
– September Inspections – 541 completed, an increase of 104 from September 2014.
-information provided by the Town of Fort Myers Beach