He hasn’t been on the Pasco County Commission long, but there’s one thing that Commissioner Gary Bradford has already noticed.
The county needs more code enforcement officers, at least in Bradford’s opinion.
“We have rules in place and we’re not enforcing them,” Bradford said.
When rules aren’t enforced, Bradford said, “they’re just words on a piece of paper, (words) on a computer screen.”
Bradford, who is in his early days in office, acknowledged that he isn’t an expert yet on the county’s budget process.
Still, he added: “I don’t know if there’s a way that we could start looking at adding additional code enforcement officers now, but I think if any area of the county government needs help, it’s code enforcement.”
“You just can’t go to somebody who comes to work and say, ‘Here’s 10 things to do today. And by the way, tomorrow here’s 15 and then 20.’ There’s a point where the balls will get dropped, not by our code enforcement officers — but just by the volume of more responsibilities.
“We need to do something about that, sooner rather than later,” Bradford said, during the county board’s Feb. 7 meeting.
During the same meeting, commissioners:
- Approved a mixed-use master-planned project on a 17-acre site, south of Shettle Road and east of U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes. Development plans call for 40,000 square feet of office, 25,000 square feet of commercial/retail and 341 apartments.
- Approved the second one-year renewal of the agreement for general state lobbying services with Shawn Foster, LLC d/b/a Sunrise Consulting Group (Sunrise Group), effective Dec. 30, 2022 through Dec. 29, 2023, and additional purchasing authority in the Not to Exceed (NTE) amount of $60,000 for the extension comprised of $45,000 for fiscal year 2023; and $15,000 for fiscal year 2024, resulting in a cumulative NTE amount of $180,000 for the term of the contract. The additional amount requested includes $15,000 for unauthorized expenditures from Oct.1, 2022 through Dec. 31, 2022.
- Appointed Dr. Lori Romano to the Pasco-Hernando Workforce Board, as recommended by the Pasco-Hernando Workforce Board Executive Committee.
- Approved a contract to allow the Senior Services Division to receive funds in the amount of $121,238 to provide meals to eligible elderly individuals. The state of Florida provides funding to expand long-term care alternatives, enabling elders to maintain an acceptable quality of life in their own homes and avoid or delay nursing home placement. Senior Services receives the funds, channeled through the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas, Inc., to provide elders with congregate and home-delivered meals.
Published February 22, 2023
