Bill exempting some officials from Pinellas Co. Licensing Board residency requirements heads to Governor

The Florida Legislature approved another change to the embattled Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board. The House approved a bill (HB 1423) that would exempt certain building officials from residency requirements.

The change stems from an agency overhaul last year that increased transparency over the licensing and permitting process and required all officials to live in Pinellas County.

The new bill maintains that for most building officials, but exempts those who work directly for the county.

Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters sponsored the 2018 overhaul aimed at fixing a series of complaints that the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board was picking winners and losers and potentially giving favors on a quid pro quo basis. But it meant that at least one county building inspector would lose his job because he lived in Hillsborough County, Peters said.

Peters said she didn’t support this year’s change “on the surface” because she believed the county should easily be able to identify qualified inspectors who did live in the county.

“But he’s working for the county so he’s operating on the job in the best interest in the county,” she said noting that “when the rubber hits the road” the bill isn’t that big of a deal.

“We have police officers, nurses, all kinds of people who don’t live in the county and, if prices keep going up, you can’t really expect people to live in the county,” Peters said.

The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board has had a rough couple of years. A Tampa Bay Times investigation identified at least seven instances in which former Executive Director Rodney Fischer and other board officials directed inspections to the agency’s vice chairman at the time, Tom Tafelski. Those referrals led to thousands of dollars in revenue for his inspection business.

The Florida Commission on Ethics recently cleared Fischer in a complaint stemming from the reports, but not before he resigned.

Further, Peters said since the 2018 overhaul she led while still a Florida Representative, building complaints have dropped “significantly.”

“If you’re going to have this board you need knowledgeable people trained on the best laws and the best safety. You really need a good building official who knows the rules and regulations,” Peters said.

While she didn’t support this year’s change, she said the new law won’t stand in the way of identifying those qualified leaders.

The bill heads next to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature.