Jesse Scheckner
Gov. Ron DeSantis added one new member and reappointed three others to the Florida Building Commission, a body tasked with interpreting, maintaining and developing the state’s building code.
The new member is John Garra, President of Davie-headquartered Square One Architecture.
Staying on the panel for four more years are architect Jim Batts, former state Rep. Don Brown and impact window and door businessman Rodney Hershberger.
Garra, a Sunrise resident, also serves as Vice President of the Building Owners and Managers Association and is member of the Accessibility Professors Association.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati.
A search of Florida Division of Elections and Federal Election Commission (FEC) records revealed no political donations by him.
Brown, of DeFuniak Springs, is a consultant for First National Insurance Agency. He served as a Republican in the House for four straight terms through 2008. Prior to that, he served as a Walton County Commissioner, Republican State Committeeman and Chair of the Walton County Republican Executive Committee.
Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial technology from the University of West Florida and today serves on the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund Advisory Council.
He was first appointed to the Building Commission in 2013 by then-Gov. Rick Scott.
Division of Elections records show he made several state-level campaign donations to Republican candidates over the past 15 years, none for more than $500 and none of it to DeSantis. He also donated $500 to former state Rep. Bev Kilmer’s congressional campaign in 2003 and the same sum to U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster in 2012.
Batts, a Jacksonville Beach resident also first appointed to the Commission in 2013 by Scott, is the founder and owner of The Batts Company, a pool and remodeling business.
He is a member of the Florida Swimming Pool Association and previously served as Chair of the St. Johns County Contractors Review Board.
Building Commission records show Batts didn’t need to be reappointed until Nov. 5, 2027.
Hershberger, a Sarasota resident, is Chair of PGT Innovations, an impact and door company he co-founded in 1987. He is the former Chair and current member of the Argus Foundation of Sarasota and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
In 2013, the American Architectural Manufacturers Association bestowed him its Outstanding Member Award.
Hershberger made three state-level political donations since 2017 to fellow Sarasota Republicans. Two were to state Rep. James Buchanan totaling $350. The third and most recent one was for $250 and went to state Sen. Joe Gruters, a past Chair of the Florida Republican Party who, earlier this year, was in the running for Chair of the Republican National Committee.
Commission records show Brown’s term expired in November 2019 and Hershberger’s term ended in July 2023.
Two other Building Commission members, architects Jeffrey Gross, Brad Schiffer, also have expired terms.
The Florida Building Commission’s 19 members are all appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by the Senate.
Members receive no direct compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for per diem and travel expenses.
The panel must include one licensed architect; one registered structural engineer; one air-conditioning contractor; one electrical contractor; one certified general contractor or building contractor; one plumbing contractor; one roofing or sheet metal contractor; one residential contractor; one member of an organization for people with disabilities; one member of the manufactured buildings industry; one member of the building products manufacturing industry; one member who represents the building owners and managers industry; one insurance industry member; a swimming pool contractor; a representative for the gas distribution system; three local code enforcement officials; and Florida’s Chief Resilience Officer or their designee.
