Bradenton Beach commissioners motioned on Feb. 14 to hire a new building official and a new flood plain manager, unanimously approving salary packages for building official Bill Palmer and floodplain manager Sarah Tudor.
Both Tudor and Palmer accepted their offers, according to city attorney Ricinda Perry in a Feb. 15 text message to The Islander.
Tudor was a floodplain manager for Manatee County and Palmer worked in Pinellas County and the city of St. Peters- burg. Tudor will work part-time for $35 per hour and Palmer will work full-time for $125,000 annually with benefits.
“I think this is a good step to help us recover from our emergency situation,” said Mayor John Chappie.
The vote followed the suspension of BO Darin Cushing in January.
Perry told The Islander on Feb. 14 that the decision to remove Cushing stemmed from concerns over adherence to permitting procedures, building regulations and flood plain management rules.
Perry said the primary issue was Cushing’s approval of a permit for a tiki hut at the Drift-In on Bridge Street, which is owned by Derek Williams.
“Mayor Chappie contacted me saying that he had driven down Bridge Street and noticed that there were posts being driven into the ground next to the Drift-In for a tiki bar,” Perry said. “And he asked me if I knew anything about what was going on and I said I didn’t. I didn’t know a permit was issued.”
Perry said the structure exceeded the previous structure’s size, encroached on easements and contained non-wood elements, including a concrete base, electrical components and plumbing.
She said the original permit application described the structure as a “custom-built authentic chickee hut with a thatched palm roof” but modifications like the addition of metal screws, electrical components and the stone base reclassified the structure as a tiki hut, subjecting it to floodplain regulations, setback requirements and more.
Perry said the new hut is 450% larger than the prior structure and there should have been a major development hearing and a new classification of permitting.
Cushing worked for the city as an employee of M.T. Causley, a subsidiary of SAFEbuilt Inspections, which provides code enforcement, inspection and permitting services. M.T. Causley has had a contract to provide services in Bradenton Beach for nearly 18 years.
As a result of the city’s complaint, Cushing was let go by M.T. Causley.
The city contract with M.T. Causley includes planning needs and Chappie said the contract renewal, up in June, will be reconsidered.
Cushing defended his work on social media and Feb. 13 during a town meeting at the Island Library held by County Commissioner Tal Siddique, maintaining the permit was issued correctly and that he felt pressured by the city to retract his approval.
Cushing declined to comment in a Feb. 13 text except to state: “I am reserving comment until I am through conferring with my attorney.”
Meanwhile, Williams expressed frustration during a Feb. 10 interview. “My work was permitted and we stayed in direct communication with the city,” he said. “It was just the sheer size of the tiki that set them off so much.”
He added, “I relied on the experts, which were the building department, that’s my point. Now, I’m going to jump through all the hoops and go back through all the things that I was essentially told we didn’t have to do.”
The bar, as of Islander press time Feb. 17, remained closed.
Perry said, “I know he has suffered. I know he has experienced and will experience delays. I just can’t make an exception on this one.”
The Drift-In AMI’s development review procedures will be evaluated at 1 p.m. Thursday, March 6, by the planning and zoning board and then at 6 p.m. the same day by the city commission.