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The Department of Code Enforcement was previously a division in
the Department of Business and Housing Development (BHD). As part
of a city-wide reorganization and the administration's commitment
to cleanup Tampa's neighborhoods, Code Enforcement will operate
as a separate department focusing on best practices.
The department's goal is to improve the quality of life for all
Tampa residents with swift due process and enforcement through an
aggressive program dealing with property maintenance, structural,
environmental, public nuisance and zoning codes. To achieve this,
code enforcement inspectors were reassigned into three districts
covering the entire city to actively patrol for potential code violations
in addition to handling citizen complaints. Additional funds totaling
$150,000 have been budgeted in FY04 to ease the caseload backlog
for structure demolition, property maintenance and inoperative vehicle
removal. This will further expedite Code Enforcement's clean-up
of public nuisance properties.
A Customer Service Division has been
created within the department to assist citizens with questions
and concerns. In addition, a new Windows based, Internet-accessible
code violation tracking software system will replace the department's
outdated software programs. This new "user friendly" program allows
for faster updates and reporting. Inspectors will also receive laptop
computers that will allow their inspections and reporting to be
done from their cars, thus increasing productivity and timeliness. |
