WORKSHOP-mtg

BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS TOWN OF REDINGTON SHORES WORKSHOP MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2025 MINUTES

A Workshop Meeting of the Board of Commissioners of the Town of Redington Shores, Florida was convened at 6:00 p.m.

Members Present: Mayor Commissioner Lisa Hendrickson, Vice Mayor Commissioner Joe Licata Commissioner CJ Hoyt, Commissioner Tom Kapper, and Commissioner Erin Schoos

Members Absent: None

Other Municipal Officials Present: Town Administrator Mike McGlothlin, Town Clerk Margaret Carey, Town Attorney Rob Eschenfelder, Building Official Rob Peebles

1. ROLL CALL BY THE TOWN CLERK

2. APPEARANCES AND PRESENTATIONS

Administrator McGlothlin said Mark Porter was unable to attend this evening to talk about the Utilities Undergrounding Project. He will be rescheduled on the next Regular meeting.

3. OLD BUSINESS - none.

4. NEW BUSINESS

a. Recording Meetings

Commissioners discussed options with the Town Administrator and Building Official. Commissioners were in favor of the later hours but were unsure how the residents would react to Town Hall only being open 4 days per week. They agreed to modify hours for Mondays and Wednesdays to be open from 10:00 am-6:00 pm. But Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday will remain the same at 8:30 am-4:00 pm.The new schedule will begin February 17 or sooner.

b. Building Department / Town Hall Hours c. Building Permits -Discussion

Commissioner Kapper said he would like to understand why the permitting process is taking so long. Residents are very upset and want to get back in their homes. Building Official Peebles said that 75% of the Damage Assessment letters have gone out.

Mayor Hendrickson attended the BIG-C meeting this week and they are sending a letter to President Trump. Mayor Hendrickson is sending her own letter as well, requesting that we receive the same attention as California. Commissioner Kapper suggested sending to Governor DeSantis as well.

Mayor Hendrickson asked about streamlining the permitting process and what resources are needed to do so. What resources do you need? Building Official Peebles said he just needs time. Administrator McGlothlin said we need legislative help- Governor, President. And an understanding of volume.

Mr. Peebles said the floodplain review adds extra time to the process, but it is a requirement for the Town to remain in the NFIP flood insurance program. He explained that floodplain review goes hand in hand with the permit process as it all relates to the 49% rule and the 1 year look back. Commissioner Hoyt asked if eliminating the lookback would speed up the permitting process? No. That is not what is holding it up.

The 3 steps of the permit process include:

1. Building Code

2. Floodplain Review

3. Planning & Zoning

Each home needs 2 permits - 1.) Interior Demolition 2.) Rebuild.

Although Mr. Peebles as Building Official is the Floodplain Administrator, he has outsourced that part to a Floodplain Manager at SafeBuilt. That is his only job. Administrator McGlothlin mentioned that we had a FEMA audit this week and they reviewed our process and approved our process. Mr. Peebles said he worked on streamlining this week with the addition of a triage desk in Town Hall lobby. In addition, permit techs are set up at individual tables in the community room. We have taken the Building Department from 2 employees to 11.

Public Comment

| NAME | COMMENT | | --- | --- | | Ryan Kiehn | We need data regarding the permitting process to assess where it can be improved. | | Jennie Blackburn | Any elected official can contact State, County, Federal officials | | Stella Zervos | Thank you to the Commission. Should also include information about insurance when writing to the President. | | DJ Van Fossan | The bottleneck is in the Floodplain process. Is an Excel spreadsheet really necessary for contractors? | | Christy Herig | Might want to consider code changes regarding elevating property. Do we have a grant summary yet? | | Colleen Woodburn | Has suggestions for improvement. Will follow up with Clerk. | | Floodplain process takes so long. It will take a year to get all the permits issued. | | | Mary Gerst | Spoke about the permit process. | | Alan Garvik | Spoke about Substantial Damage letters. | | Marie Palena | We need clarification/breakdown of Building Department Update metrics |

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ACTION ITEMS:

- Administrator McGlothlin to provide a grant program update. Commissioner Hoyt expressed concern about the February 17 deadline for the FMA grant program.

- Clerk Carey to follow up with Ms. Woodburn.

- Commissioner Hoyt will try to contact Representative Anna Paulina Luna.

d. Penalty/Deadline for Post-Storm Permitting

Building Official Peebles reported the FEMA audit went well overall, with the exception that we were "dinged" for code compliance. We need to set a date for permit compliance - to stop the grace period. Mr. Peebles suggests April 9. We must show compliance for FEMA. The Commission discussed and Mayor Hendrickson said the Town will not set a date until every homeowner receives their Damage Assessment letter.

Attorney Eschenfelder asked how many code compliance citations have been issued? The Code Enforcement Officer should be coordinating with the attorney.

Administrator McGlothlin will coordinate with code enforcement and follow up. He will get code compliance on task.

e. Prioritize CIP Projects

Administrator McGlothlin presented the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) for the 2024-25 fiscal year. He discussed details of each project and together with the Commission, they prioritized the projects as follows:

- Utilities Undergrounding Project (highest priority)

- Sewer System Improvements

- Stormwater Infrastructure

All other FY2024-25 Projects