Workshops for Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code Update Feb 21, 22, 23, 2017

[South Walton Community Council]

Public Workshop Scheduled for Walton County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code Update
February 21, 22, and 23, 2017

Walton County will be hosting a public workshop for the update of the Walton County Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code on Tuesday, February 21st; Wednesday, February 22nd; and Thursday, February 23rd, 2017. The public is invited to attend this workshop and learn about the county's initiative to update both the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code to achieve a high quality built environment while preserving and enhancing the natural environment. Meeting participants will have an opportunity to provide input on areas of concern.

The public is encouraged to attend this workshop. Your input is important and will help the county ensure that the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code continue to serve the needs of all county citizens.
The workshop will be conducted in three locations throughout Walton County for your convenience with a similar presentation at each.

South - West Walton County
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: South Walton Courthouse Annex
31 Coastal Centre Boulevard
Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459

South - East Walton County
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Rosemary Beach Town Hall
48 South Barrett Square
Panama City Beach, FL 32461

North / Central Walton County
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: DeFuniak Springs Community Center, Activity Room
361 North 10th Street
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32433


Walton County Comp Plan & Land Development Code Updates


We are encouraging our members to attend at least one of the meetings and to go to the website established by Walton County and sign up for notifications on the updates.

 

[FactorFiction]

This is a really important meeting to attend if you want to help change South Walton's planning for the better. Hope to see a good crowd tonight!

 

[Kaydence]

A lot of talk last night about the first meeting.

In particular is the push to move things from the Comp plan to the LDC which has not been done since 1996. (Probably a good reason for that) Planning came up with 60 or so issues that needed to be addressed.

About 3 years ago Attorney Gary Shipman appeared before the BCC asking them to appoint a Blue Ribbon Committee to do just that. (Of course he also thinks we should pay his bills for private attorney work.) That best not happen either!

Blue ribbon committee? WTH? The cats out of the bag now and it should be abundantly clear to everyone why this is not a good idea and who is behind this.

Reality is anything removed from comp plan to LDC, can be easily changed without a Comp Plan amendment. Problem is the LDC is so weak, zoning would offer more protections because zoning is more specific.

Also, the Matrix was asked to address zoning, parking, and tiny house districts, minimum lot sizes, etc so, if they say all they are doing is making things consistent, something's up.

What about "scriveners errors" that were a product of the writing of the Comp Plan in the mid '90s?

How bout parking? I wonder if parking concurrence will be moved from the Comp Plan to the LDC?

Flooding and sewage?

 

[Kaydence]

The top 5 applicants for the Planning Director position are now public record. Ask for copies of them!

The applications for 2 current employees are completely different than the other 3. (Internal Applications v At Will Applications) Good way to re-write the application process, adjust information and leave out pertinent information to suit the candidate(s) of choice. Walton County sorta has a history of re-writing qualifications, job descriptions and qualifications of potential employees to suit who they want to hire versus the person best qualified to do the job.

Mac Carpenter was asked to give 3 personal references who were NOT fellow employees. He listed the county attorney, Mark Davis. They are fellow employees of the County!

Also listed was a local real estate developer, Gus Andrews. As a real estate agent himself, I'm sure Mac Carpenter had ample opportunity to work with Andrews in the real estate field albeit not technically "fellow employees".

And a land use attorney (Steve Hall). Hmmm. A land use attorney, a real estate developer and the attorney for Walton County? Seriously? What's wrong with that picture?

Mac Carpenter admits in his application that in fact his drivers license has been suspended or revoked for unpaid traffic fines. He stops short of admitting that he was also charged with attaching a tag not assigned.

3 of the 5 applicants were asked about their criminal history; "Are you currently using illegal drugs?", "Have you ever been convicted of a crime other than minor traffic violations?", "Have you ever plead NO Contest to a crime?", " Have you ever been discharged or asked to resign from any previous employment?".

Mac Carpenter did not have those questions asked on his application even though he in fact plead "no contest" when his drivers license was suspended or revoked and attaching a tag not assigned. Carpenter was also charged and sentenced for drug possession and was suspended from the City of DFS after that offense occurred. (Public Record) Whether or not he was discharged or asked to resign from previous employment would require a background check and there is no evidence attached to the applications that background checks have been conducted on any of the applicants. Carpenter did voluntarily admit under the "Driving History" portion of his application (which does not appear on 3 other applications) that his license had been suspended.


Footnotes:
Just recently Mr. Naylor spoke under public comments at a City council meeting where he submitted a resume for someone he would like to see get the City Managers position. Personally, I found that slick move highly inappropriate. Perhaps not technically unethical, it reeks of how the good ole boys do business in Walton County.

Regarding the City Managers position: Tillman Mears handed in his resignation because of Mac Carpenters repeated personal attacks against Mears and his family. Carpenter does NOT play well with others. Every City council member except Carpenter have sung Mears praises for the great job he has done as City Manager and how much money he has saved the City of DFS. The City Council does NOT want Mears gone and have asked him to reconsider.

 

[Kaydence]

One of the other applicants is a former Walton County employee who listed Gary Vorbeck as a reference. Vorbeck was once an attorney representing Walton County and the TDC who also represents developers. She also listed Wayne Dyess.

Come on Walton County...you can't even begin to address the issues with the land development code and the comprehensive plan until you address the issues that got you where you are today!!! At least 2 of the applicants being considered for the job have been part and parcel of the problems!!!

 

[John G]

The two county officials vying for this post should have to provide the same information as the other "outsiders".

Did Carpenter and the other County Employee complete the same application that the "outsiders" did at one point? If so, that would be good to see.

If Carpenter had something negative between the time of his original hire with Walton County and his new "Request For Transfer" application, that should be caught and known to County HR (and disclosed) at this time and that should be provided to the BCC PRIOR to their decision making process.

I would also expect the BCC (or the committee) to have obtained and reviewed the applicants disciplinary files, prior to Tuesday's meeting. Its a very simple process...

 

[Kaydence]

The two county officials vying for this post should have to provide the same information as the other "outsiders".

Did Carpenter and the other County Employee complete the same application that the "outsiders" did at one point? If so, that would be good to see.

If Carpenter had something negative between the time of his original hire with Walton County and his new "Request For Transfer" application, that should be caught and known to County HR (and disclosed) at this time and that should be provided to the BCC PRIOR to their decision making process.

I would also expect the BCC (or the committee) to have obtained and reviewed the applicants disciplinary files, prior to Tuesday's meeting. Its a very simple process...

Let me just say this...

I have a copy of Mac Carpenter's application for employment dated 12-5-2006 and there are pertinent omissions of fact and he signed a personal inquiry wavier which would have released that information. The inquiry waiver calls for a notary but the copy I have was never notarized which suggests there was never a background check. (These documents were picked up at the County Administrators office.)

Why? Well my opinion is the county knew what they were getting. He's a good ole boy and they gave him a job.

I also have a copy of his application for employment with the City of DFS. Those documents indicate, in fact, that there was a reprimand and suspension from his job after he was busted for marijuana that was never mentioned on his application for Walton County even though he was asked specifically if he had ever been terminated, suspended or had any disciplinary action against him from any other job to which, he answered NO on the County application.

There also appears to be pertinent omissions of fact regarding his DWLSR charge and attaching a tag not assigned. He admits he was suspended/revoked. In 2004 he was cited for Failure to use due care then in 2005 for speeding 45 in a 30, 2005 DWLS and personal injury protection canceled in 2004, failed to pay fine in 2005, Failed to appear traffic in 2006. (None of this makes any sense but I typed it verbatim.) He also listed NO experience what so ever in planning when he applied with DFS.

Then he was asked if he resigned or left a job by mutual agreement following allegations of misconduct or unsatisfactory job performance and he answered NO.

Again, no background check appears to have been conducted by the County to affirm his statement or.. to affirm his employment history and none of the history listed indicates he had any experience in planning. It was mostly high rise management, real estate management and property management.

The only experience I see in planning started when he was the "Acting City Administrator for DFS and that was a short lived experience, 1979 to 1982. He was hired by the County as an "At Will" employee and was literally put in the planning department as a Planner II with NO experience.

As Tom McLaughlin pointed out in his article:
Florida's Auditor General's Office has taken the Walton County Commission to task for its Planning Department's money management and hiring practices, and failure to implement past suggestions to improve the way it does business.

That's not likely to change if Mac Carpenter is promoted!

This is also an elected official! That needs to change as well.

 

[John G]

Does the selection committee and / or BCC have that info?

They should be provided with it, on the record.

If he's selected, no one can say "well golly you'all we didn't know about that..."