[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6746296,"mediaKeyId","2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9","parentId",2171597,"title","Taylor County waives December storm-related permit fees as building official prepares to leave; department faces backlog","audioSeconds",351,"startMs",3018000,"endMs",3369000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9&start=3018&end=3369","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9/thumbnail_3018000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6746296/Taylor-County/Florida/Taylor-County-waives-December-storm-related-permit-fees-as-building-official-prepares-to-leave-department-faces-backlog","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6746296-681e018d5b80e88a864026574e09ba1c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169168&Signature=X5QOUv6JeLOWT12MdvcZXUZpoEX-LIRhJyPZjReTW3H09xzXYdfwHUHnzPMtEz640IQsLLkn0~Z9iVdXyUA8NXHCAeUUowj2nHxPbp0alC3OKn71mbfwW5smPcQi4Umy5Ny99Tl~rbFWp8crxMacMYdCuwofDP9r~SRoWWEGNtb47JS9dSu8YIEwbw-34nplcC5cul8CIxJhmXDqdR0tb5ZjeWo3cQsYrYjEDPSSPwUZMGPMU~6YVgfixrJ0MDPSY2RVCAJBF6kT2CJjMuyQTy6E~IMI4J1Ra7ryXhuKVMYADkeXEUb5HWEGnr1GIbOYPlWm3CahnMuajM8vvqF34Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Taylor County","date","2025-01-01T05:08:50.063Z","article","Chair brought forward a request from Commissioner Newman to waive storm-related building permit fees for December to assist residents still working through storm recovery. \"The recovery process is continuing,\" Newman said, and staff recommended the short, time-limited waiver to give affected residents time to secure insurance, contractors and inspections.

County staff reported the county’s temporary building official has indicated he will be available only through Dec. 31. The building department has received several applications but no candidates with the required licensure; staff said the department will likely need to contract building-official services and obtain quotes from contractors. The county manager said contracting is likely necessary because the department currently lacks a certified candidate and the workload includes floodplain, Florida Building Code and Agency for Health Care Administration questions for larger projects.

Staff warned that contracting could add unbudgeted costs; an example figure mentioned in the meeting was up to about $4,000 per week for external building-official services, and staff noted the department is budgeted for approximately $180,000 in permit-fee revenue for the year and expected reimbursements from the city (~$50,000 budgeted as a separate line). Staff said they will return to the board with a sustainable solution and may include permit-fee changes in next year’s budget discussions.

The board approved the December waiver. Staff asked residents to submit permit applications and said permits are typically valid for about six months with extensions available; however, attempting to create a rush before possible fee changes could add to office congestion. Staff committed to providing updates and to request quotes for contracted building-official coverage so the county can maintain compliance with state and federal regulations.

During public comment several Keaton Beach business owners and residents raised concerns about post-storm building requirements, including questions about whether the Florida Building Code or National Electrical Code requires elevated electrical service and permanent stairs for coastal meters. Staff said the electrical-service elevation requirement is in local floodplain ordinance and may also be reflected in the Florida Building Code and National Electrical Code; staff committed to re-checking the technical citation and to provide clearer guidance to affected businesses.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Taylor County Board of County Commissioners","oneSentenceSummary","The board approved waiving storm-related building permit fees for December 2024 while staff seeks contracted building-official coverage to handle a heavy post-storm permit backlog.","taxTitle","Taylor County, Florida","taxId",28196,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6746299,"Taylor County commissioners debate $3-an-hour firefighter pay boost after repeated station closures",1807,635000,2442000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9&start=635&end=2442","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9/thumbnail_635000.jpg","/articles/6746299/Taylor-County/Florida/Taylor-County-commissioners-debate-3-an-hour-firefighter-pay-boost-after-repeated-station-closures","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6746299-4e2af0cfefcf6c4d184fc122f96bc8c9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169168&Signature=c-7Ns5z2xdYqWTe4DXzMCAGoq6XxwT~LcKbIaZiDwpg-ejGCm4-6Cpqs6h9mit5pENPGaLKgJ6vIxxWQe6hBBqmQFFEp4qNFkwG~92ANr2u2GG0L9vBgTiZ5UObYqBwAuWF91B6w6NTW8w-FaQK9~kx4jSWp0SMZpeDNHkEXgLE-NF7bkqGVD8QUwcib7m2avHil7oSWpVVqMUueke0ZlOl8ukpH3RGhUQbjN1Vlb1pB4ZSVQ87H67knp4~HwqI3aobI9OTUbCAuxw4pspAD4LK1RtZz9ts1QfkJk4F7UZBh04iDi1paWIYrfIgPSw8yxfJY1J2XnnDu9qa6Mpbsdw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Commissioner Jerry Fiegel urged the board to act after the county experienced multiple temporary fire-station closures, including a 24-hour closure at a beach-area station and multi-day closures elsewhere, leaving portions of Taylor County with reduced local coverage. \"This seems to be getting more frequent,\" Fiegel said, and asked the board to \"reconsider the salaries to see if we could raise our firefighters by $3 an hour\" to improve staffing.

The county administrator, LaWanda Pemberton, and other commissioners discussed trade-offs and budget constraints. Pemberton explained that any recurring pay increase funded from MSTU (Municipal Service Taxing Unit) reserves would reduce funds available for other services that MSTU covers, including animal control, building and mosquito control, and cautioned about sustaining the increase next year if taxable values decline. \"I just wanna make sure that everyone understands if this were funded, where the funds would come from,\" she said.

Several commissioners objected to raising pay for one department without comparable increases for other county employees. \"We're gonna raise salaries of any employee. We're gonna raise all of them. We're not gonna just pay one department,\" one commissioner said, arguing that a targeted raise could produce morale issues elsewhere.

Fire department leaders and staff described operational impacts from short staffing: stations were closed when shifts could not be filled despite using part-timers and overtime; part-timers are limited to 30 hours per week; mutual aid is used but can increase response times for nearby residents. The fire chief (unnamed in the transcript) said crews still answer calls but noted that \"there's one less person that can be on a fire scene\" on days when staffing is thin, which reduces resources available at incidents.

Staff provided cost estimates previously in the record: a $1-per-hour increase for firefighters would cost roughly $72,851 a year (including salary, overtime and fringe); $2 an hour would be roughly $145,701 a year. Commissioners also discussed interim options such as additional overtime, recruiting incentives, or a modest across-the-board 50-cent increase previously proposed.

Commissioner Fiegel made a formal motion to increase firefighter pay by $3 an hour. The transcript records extended debate about funding, operational impacts and equity but does not include a final roll-call vote on Commissioner Fiegel’s motion during the meeting record. Several commissioners said they supported smaller increases (for example, 50 cents across the board) or favored exploring options and identifying sustainable funding during the January budget sessions.

The meeting record shows the board sought to balance urgent operational needs, limited recruitment pools for volunteer and paid firefighters, and long-term budget sustainability; staff committed to return to the board with budget options as part of the regular budget process.","Commissioner Jerry Fiegel asked the board to raise firefighter pay by $3 an hour after repeated temporary station closures left parts of Taylor County with limited local fire coverage.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6746292,"Taylor County commissioners adopt right-of-way abandonment, approve grant-funded studies and other routine items",2558,288000,2846000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9&start=288&end=2846","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2171597-05e64068edbfd0ee99892b965d7adfd9/thumbnail_288000.jpg","/articles/6746292/Taylor-County/Florida/Taylor-County-commissioners-adopt-right-of-way-abandonment-approve-grant-funded-studies-and-other-routine-items","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6746292-e9252ddc4ce362418dcf722b6de401a9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771169168&Signature=MzE1ixoUqnicShxTNaNC6Awk2w1RfEgUjJT4NKna7xTZNbjFvYGCP8NYlLTtDfayCCdXxXEh8wJ9~ER4icVsm1LAjK49mCC0YvSbh4-fBa-FP0lT~tsHbn0G1Gnd6VdKVbRNlin-vxRVjPB0Ev4jYakfRd689I99Q8~jaO-ErW9ncdHHtYaE9I7TtFOHq6ivkDnd2U7TNJNDDaDYaLnk2w4xNwMGW4CBwc4sR5m6TPd5iM142Yb6xbkSYMvrCfPq~U54TIT4lYDX3Wccyn5EGeAWv~~y~Cp1J4HVVaHg7wMLnaEAwS2ZfM3KrF6kXa~BXlxS-Q5LgLWfUfsziU7VQA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Taylor County Board of County Commissioners took several formal actions during its Dec. 2 meeting.

Right-of-way abandonment: After a public hearing on a petition from Sharon Knowles Carr and staff confirmation that notice had been published Nov. 15 and that the technical review committee recommended approval, the board read and adopted a resolution to abandon a described portion of Taylor Avenue (resolution adoption recorded by roll call: Commissioners English, Moody, Newman, Fiegel and Damps voted \"Yes\"). The resolution text is part of the meeting record; the county attorney or clerk will record deeds as appropriate.

Invoice reimbursement and financial reports: Finance Director Danielle Welch asked the board to transfer MSTU reserves to reimburse a former employee for attorney fees following a DBPR complaint that was closed with no cause found and which had been defended by counsel. The board approved transferring funds per a standing reimbursement resolution. The board also accepted the constitutional officers’ receipts, expenses and net income reports for the fiscal year close of 2024 as presented.

Grant-funded procurement and hospital project: Staff recommended awarding AFCON (bidder) the contract for a Keaton Beach bypass feasibility study; the project is 100% grant-funded with Restore Act funds. The board authorized staff to negotiate project costs with AFCON and return a contract to the board for approval. Separately, the board approved advertising procurement documents for the Doctors Memorial Hospital roof replacement under a Department of Commerce grant; staff noted that Agency for Health Care Administration certification may be required for contractors on that project and that procurement documents align with grant and AHCA requirements.

Other approvals: The board approved a temporary waiver of storm-related building permit fees for December 2024 to aid recovery efforts, approved the Historical Society’s request to use the courthouse parking lot for the annual \"Christmas on the Square\" event on Dec. 6, and approved an employee incentive of $50 per employee (full-time, part-time, seasonal and call) to be paid through payroll (staff estimated a gross cost around $21,000).","The board adopted a street-abandonment resolution and approved a series of routine and grant-funded items including a Restore Act-funded feasibility study and procurement steps for a hospital roof grant.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Taylor County waives December storm-related permit fees as building official prepares to leave; department faces backlog

Taylor County commissioners debate $3-an-hour firefighter pay boost after repeated station closures

Taylor County commissioners adopt right-of-way abandonment, approve grant-funded studies and other routine items