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Should Code Enforcement Proactively enforce Walton County Codes?

  • Yes

    Votes: 35 70.0%
  • No

    Votes: 15 30.0%

  • Total voters
    50

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
scooterbug, this issue came up at the last BCC meeting because Comm. Meadows said that she was getting too many complaints of Code violations. She thought if Code Enforcement was being somewhat more proactive, rather than complaint driven only, fewer people would have to call her office asking her to take care of the violations. At that same meeting, Commissioners asked for Code Enforcement to provide the BCC with their policy on enforcing the County Codes, which is to be presented at Tuesday's BCC meeting.
 

wrobert

Beach Fanatic
Nov 21, 2007
4,134
575
61
DeFuniak Springs
www.defuniaksprings.com
scooterbug, this issue came up at the last BCC meeting because Comm. Meadows said that she was getting too many complaints of Code violations. She thought if Code Enforcement was being somewhat more proactive, rather than complaint driven only, fewer people would have to call her office asking her to take care of the violations. At that same meeting, Commissioners asked for Code Enforcement to provide the BCC with their policy on enforcing the County Codes, which is to be presented at Tuesday's BCC meeting.

Here is the memo that has been sent to the BCC.

I personally think that it is going to take a major enlargement of the department if this change is implemented. Which means a lot more trucks.

Right now, I guess it is because they try so hard to give people time to correct violations, is the reason, but the code cases we heard Thursday night were from March and July of 07.
 

ASH

Beach Fanatic
Feb 4, 2008
2,156
443
Roosevelt, MN
I'm all for proactive code enforcement to keep people honest that otherwise might take advantage of others good faith. People taking shortcuts to build and sell homes to people who have no basic understanding of what it takes to build a home that will resist a storm should ba a major crime. We will see future hurricanes come through this area and there are going to be homes that don't hold up due to poor construction. There are going to be flooded homes because the proper drainage the property needed was never properly installed and people are going to loose gobs of money. Insurance companies are going to walk away from a claim if they can "CSI" that the place was somehow not built to code. Many innocent people will get screwed.
Of course, not everyone builds like this. If there was some type of random compliance check available, the shortcuts would be reduced for fear of being caught.
My two cents worth.
 

Furthur

Beach Lover
Jan 21, 2008
92
14
S.R.B.
Unfortunately some of the worst code violators are just old time wackos.
Filing public complaints against them can lead to very hostile confrontations or worse.
Some neighbors who are adversely affected don't speak up because of the risk involved.
Jerks can start fires etc. You do not want these people to know who you are.
But you still deserve protection under the law.

Let's say your neighbors house caught on fire because he was cooking crack in the kitchen.
Do you want to go on record complaining about the six junk cars in his front yard.
Especially if just six months before this guys next door neighbors woods was set ablaze.

Cindy Meadows has been very helpful in just such a situation.
No more personnel or trucks will be needed.
Proactive enforcement will help protect everyone's property.
 

Goddessgal

Beach Lover
Mar 28, 2007
187
45
Florida!
Comments from the peanut gallery.....

I do not currently live in SoWal (in Texas), but Furthur makes a good point. My neighbor was at one point keeping pigs in his garage, and we live in the middle of town where that is definitely not allowed (and not a humane situation either). He also re-graded his driveway, causing my side yard to drainage issues where there were none previously. Would I report him? No way - he's a nut! And probably heavily armed.

Can you see now why I would love to relocate? :)

Just my opinion, I would vote for letting the officials do their job. I'm not one to criticize someone for not having the correct mailbox or whatever, but the alternatives can be unpleasant. Or even hazardous, as SmilingJoe mentioned.

In my town, volunteer vigilanties take care of the "proactive enforcement". They hop out of nowhere from their cars and spend their days reporting on and taking photos of illegal yard sale signs, people whose wheels touch the line of handicapped parking places etc. They harassed a girl I knew for [they thought] improperly using someone else's hangtag, until she removed her wig and showed them she was a cancer patient in chemotherapy. Even though I properly registered my yard sale last year and used the proper signs in the proper places, the anxiety over a several hundred dollar fine if they weren't just right was really not worth it. Like I said, I would support "code patrol" that was at least official
in my town.
 

elgordoboy

Beach Fanatic
Feb 9, 2007
2,513
887
I no longer stay in Dune Allen
Comments from the peanut gallery.....

I do not currently live in SoWal (in Texas), but Furthur makes a good point. My neighbor was at one point keeping pigs in his garage, and we live in the middle of town where that is definitely not allowed (and not a humane situation either). He also re-graded his driveway, causing my side yard to drainage issues where there were none previously. Would I report him? No way - he's a nut! And probably heavily armed.

Can you see now why I would love to relocate? :)

Just my opinion, I would vote for letting the officials do their job. I'm not one to criticize someone for not having the correct mailbox or whatever, but the alternatives can be unpleasant. Or even hazardous, as SmilingJoe mentioned.

In my town, volunteer vigilanties take care of the "proactive enforcement". They hop out of nowhere from their cars and spend their days reporting on and taking photos of illegal yard sale signs, people whose wheels touch the line of handicapped parking places etc. They harassed a girl I knew for [they thought] improperly using someone else's hangtag, until she removed her wig and showed them she was a cancer patient in chemotherapy. Even though I properly registered my yard sale last year and used the proper signs in the proper places, the anxiety over a several hundred dollar fine if they weren't just right was really not worth it. Like I said, I would support "code patrol" that was at least official
in my town.
Anonymously report the pig farmer to the vigilantes. Let them duke it out.
 

wrobert

Beach Fanatic
Nov 21, 2007
4,134
575
61
DeFuniak Springs
www.defuniaksprings.com
No more personnel or trucks will be needed.
Proactive enforcement will help protect everyone's property.

Do you have some secret productivity increasing method that you could share? Right now, under the current method, they appear to be about a year behind. How would you accomplish a proactive method, that is effective, without an increase in funding?
 

Smiling JOe

SoWal Expert
Nov 18, 2004
31,648
1,773
Here is the memo that has been sent to the BCC.

I personally think that it is going to take a major enlargement of the department if this change is implemented. Which means a lot more trucks.

Right now, I guess it is because they try so hard to give people time to correct violations, is the reason, but the code cases we heard Thursday night were from March and July of 07.

You mean they like to give people a chance to completely and illegally fill in wetlands, so that they are beyond repair. I can name several examples. If Code Enforcement was on top of things, the property owner wouldn't have the expense of removing the illegal fill, and leaving the wetlands ruined. As it stands, the property owner could plead "stupid," and get away with it. Have the illegally filled wetlands on Quiet Water Trail been restored as ordered? Have the illegally created canals on the property off of Lagrange Rd been restored as originally ordered? No need to answer, as I know the answer and am using them as examples.
 

wrobert

Beach Fanatic
Nov 21, 2007
4,134
575
61
DeFuniak Springs
www.defuniaksprings.com
You mean they like to give people a chance to completely and illegally fill in wetlands, so that they are beyond repair. I can name several examples. If Code Enforcement was on top of things, the property owner wouldn't have the expense of removing the illegal fill, and leaving the wetlands ruined. As it stands, the property owner could plead "stupid," and get away with it. Have the illegally filled wetlands on Quiet Water Trail been restored as ordered? Have the illegally created canals on the property off of Lagrange Rd been restored as originally ordered? No need to answer, as I know the answer and am using them as examples.


Wasn't that guy put in jail or something? I agree that it sure seems a lot of the big things are getting missed. Remember the pics of the equipment in the bay a few months back. But someone did call and they get involved.

What we really need are some enviromental law enforcement officers in this county, under the Sheriff's department, that can arrest or take whatever action is necessary to stop the violation from occurring at the moment.
 
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