- October 29, 2024
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Palm Coast Code Enforcement staff is back to full strength and is working on a backlog of 1,364 code complaints filed by neighbors during the pandemic, as well as 1,994 reinspections, which are checkups on previous complaints to verify compliance.
Of all the interruptions in routine since Code Enforcement Manager Barbara Grossman was hired in 2005, “This is probably the worst,” she said. During hurricanes, Code Enforcement is interrupted for days; the pandemic has interrupted inspections for many weeks.
Regardless, the staff is following up on every complaint it has received. Reinspections are sometimes very quick: If someone was cited for having an overgrown lawn two months ago, a staff member will drive by the home, and if the lawn is not overgrown anymore, the case will be closed without further action.
Many of the reports of new violations could be attributed to complications due to the pandemic, Grossman said. For example, some cars that are parking illegally overnight in swales belong to college students who are living at home after their classes were canceled on far-flung campuses. As students return to college, their cars will also be gone.
Staff for Code Enforcement is typically 14 full-time people and one part-time person, Grossman said, including two Animal Control officers and two for urban forestry. That staff was down to four people from late March to mid June, as some code employees were redirected to help with tasks at parks. Code Enforcement has now returned to full staff.
“They’re fantastic,” Grossman said of her code team. “They are go-getters. They are team players. … Did they mind doing park duty? Absolutely not. … City employees are team players.”
Between March 26 to June 10, there were no postings on residential doors. Instead, all communication was via mail.
While some people may feel that it’s heavy handed to enforce codes during the pandemic, others felt it wasn’t strong enough, said Grossman, who moved to Palm Coast in 1992, in part because of the high standards.
“The idea is compassion,” she said, “but then we also have people who say, ‘Where’s Code Enforcement?’”
