Neighborhood ServicesDepartment

(Community Compliance)

Department Information Package Revised – September 2015

Video: What We Do – June 2015Video: Click & Fix – September 2015

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Neighborhood Services DepartmentMission: Together with our citizens, businesses, neighborhood groups and City staff,

utilize the Code of Ordinances to achieve problem resolution and code compliance, thereby enhancing the economic vitality and quality of life in our community.

Areas of Responsibility:- Code Violations & Complaints - Receive/Respond/Investigate

- Lot Cleaning Program

- Unmaintained Swimming Pools Program

- City Boards: Code Enforcement Board and Special Magistrate

- Pinellas County Court (re: Local Ordinance Violations)

- Emergency Abatements

- Assessment and Collection of Invoices, Fines & Liens

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Michael Nelson Community Compliance

Supervisor

Michael has completed over 16 years with the City. He was hired as a Community Compliance Specialist in 1999, and was promoted to Community Compliance Supervisor in 2014. Michael hails from New York, where he previously served in the Army National Guard and as a New York City Police Officer. Michael holds Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 certifications with the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE), and he earned the prestigious Code Enforcement Professional (CEP) designation in 2013. Michael was selected as the City’s Outstanding Employee of the Year in 2014.

Neighborhood Services Department

Susan Walker Neighborhood Services Administrator

Hired as a Secretary in 1985, Susan is now in her 31st year as a City employee. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Susan has served in several City positions, including Code Enforcement Inspector, Associate Planner, and Business & Neighborhood Development Director. She was promoted to Neighborhood Services Administrator in 2007. Through her dedicated staff and volunteers, Susan ensures her Department’s areas of responsibility are handled in a timely, professional manner, while also providing excellent customer service.

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Janet is in her 28th year as a City employee. She was a Police Dispatcher for seven years, then became Staff Assistant in the Community Compliance Division. Janet was promoted to her current position in 1996. As Neighborhood Services Coordinator, Janet serves as Secretary to the Code Enforcement Board and Special Magistrate. She schedules hearings, prepares agendas & legal documents, and manages fines & liens – including Clerk of the Circuit Court recordings. Janet also tracks City costs for Board and Special Magistrate cases, and participates in lien negotiations and settlements.

Carrie Moss Neighborhood Services Staff Assistant

Neighborhood Services Department

Janet Weidner Neighborhood Services

Coordinator

Carrie joined us as Staff Assistant in 2013. She receives & assigns code violation complaints, and manages the City’s Lot Cleaning Program and Unmaintained Swimming Pools Program. Carrie assigns work orders, prepares invoices & correspondence, documents payments, and prepares liens for recordation by the Clerk of the Circuit Court. She also serves as the Coordinator’s back-up. Carrie holds Masters degrees in Human Resource Management and in Business Administration, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.

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Robert Horne

Community Compliance

Specialist Robert is now in his 10th year with the City, starting in the Public Works Department. In 2012, he was promoted to Community Compliance Specialist. Robert is certified in Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE) Levels 1 , 2 and 3. He is a part-time student at St. Petersburg College. Robert has completed the Professional Development Series online through the Emergency Management Institute, and he has several certificates from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Neighborhood Services Department

Jamie Babcock Community Compliance Specialist

Jamie joined the Neighborhood Services Department staff in 2013 when she was hired as Community Compliance Specialist. She holds a Crime Scene Investigator certificate from St. Petersburg College. Jamie has a keen interest in criminology, and she has completed several college courses in that discipline. Jamie has attained Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE) Level 1 certification, and has completed Level 3 classes.

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Jillian RoseCommunity

Compliance Specialist

Jillian was hired as Staff Assistant in 2013, after nine years with the Pinellas County School Board. She was promoted to Community Compliance Specialist later that same year. Jillian is a part-time student at St. Petersburg College, a graduate of the Citizens Police Academy and the 2013 APPLE Program, and serves on Public Service Education Foundation of Pinellas Park Board. She has attained Level 1 certification from the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE).

Neighborhood Services Department

Jeff Berg Community Compliance Specialist

Jeff is in his seventh year as a City employee. He was hired by the Utility Billing Division in 2009, and was promoted to Community Compliance Specialist in 2013. Jeff holds an Associate in Science degree from St. Petersburg College. He completed a 20-year Naval Reserve Service career and retired in 2007. Jeff has earned Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE) certifications in Level 1 and Level 2.

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Jay Bloomer Community

Compliance Specialist

Jay joined the Neighborhood Services Department in 2014 as a Community Compliance Specialist. He comes to us from Iowa, where he was a Field Service Technician with the Iowa American Water Company. Jay serves on the City’s Employee Wellness Committee, along with several fellow staff members from various City Departments. He has attained Level 1 certification from the Florida Association of Code Enforcement (FACE), and has completed Level 2 courses.

Neighborhood Services Department

Office Volunteers

Jeanne Kepple (since 8/2014)

John Bankhead (since 10/2014)

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Code Enforcement Board and Special Magistrate The purpose of the Code Enforcement Board and the Special Magistrate is to

promote, protect, and improve the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens by providing an equitable, expeditious, effective and inexpensive method of enforcing the City’s codes. The Neighborhood Services Coordinator serves as Secretary to the Code Enforcement Board and the Special Magistrate.

The Code Enforcement Board has seven members, when possible consisting of an architect, businessperson, engineer, general contractor, subcontractor and a realtor. One individual has been designated by City Council to serve as Special Magistrate.

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Neighborhood Services DepartmentAnnual Revenue Collections

2013/14 2012/13REVENUE REVENUE COLLECTION SOURCE/TYPE

$134,250 $ 74,625 Foreclosure Registrations

$ 38,712 $ 24,403 Public Nuisance Abatements

$ 68,182 $ 34,745 Code Enforcement Board & Special Magistrate Liens

$241,144 $133,773

Informational BrochuresWe’ve developed three (3) informational brochures to educate and assist the community.

Tips for Maintaining Your Residential PropertyTips for Maintaining Your Business PropertyTips for Landlords and Tenants

Brochures may be viewed on the Department’s webpage, or a copy picked-up at our office (or call us to request a copy by mail).

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We issue/post Public Nuisance Notices for Lot Cleanings (Overgrown Grass/Weeds) and Unmaintained Swimming Pools. If not timely corrected, we arrange for a City vendor to perform the clean-up work. We then invoice the property owner for the City’s costs. If not timely paid, we prepare, file & record an Assessment Lien with the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Liens

include the hard costs, plus an Administrative Fee to cover the City’s administrative expenses.

BEFORE AFTER

Nuisance Abatement Programs – Lot Cleanings & Swimming Pools

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Commercial/Recreational Vehicles (improperly stored or parked)

Prohibited Signs on Right-of-Way

Outdoor Storage

Other Common Violations

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Fences in Disrepair

Inoperative/Abandoned Vehicles

Other Common Violations

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Neighborhood Services Department Want to report a possible code violation? You can do so by…

Email: Neighborhood-Services@Pinellas-Park.com

Telephone: 727-369-5668

In Person: 7780 60th Street (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm)

Tell Us Via: Pinellas Park Click & Fix at www.Pinellas-Park.com (Mobile apps available for Androids and iPhones)

You do not have to give your name, but if you’d like us to follow-up with you please provide your contact information. If you’d like an update, just call/email our office or the assigned Community Compliance Specialist.

The Neighborhood Services Department wishes to publicly thank and recognize our fabulous Office Volunteers, Jeanne Kepple and John Bankhead, who joined us in 2014 and who continue to generously donate their time to help us better serve the Pinellas Park community. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us!

Two (2) videos are available for viewing: Neighborhood Services: What We Do (June 2015) andPinellas Park Click & Fix (September 2015).