Bradenton Beach commissioners moved forward Nov. 20 with plans to advertise a new request for proposals for planning services, the latest step in a year marked by staffing changes and a reevaluation of how the city manages development and zoning oversight.
In the draft RFP, the city seeks firms or individuals to provide on-call planning support, including zoning review, land-development code interpretation, comprehensive planning assistance and possibly even community redevelopment agency-focused urban planning.
In February, the city made changes to its development oversight structure when it hired building official Bill Palmer to succeed Darin Cushing, who had been contracted through Safebuilt, a national firm that has historically supplied the city’s building official and planner services.
According to officials, Bradenton Beach is shifting toward bringing key development positions under more direct city oversight, part of an effort to stabilize permitting and zoning functions following recent disputes and reconstruction challenges.
The city has not publicly announced any change regarding its contracted planner and officials did not discuss planner Luis Serna’s status during the Nov. 20 meeting.
Bradenton Beach also has seen turnover in its legal department. City Attorney Ricinda Perry resigned Sept. 18 after 21 years of service, a tenure that spanned multiple development cycles, storm recoveries and zoning-related disputes. She was succeeded by city attorney Erica Augello of Trask Daigneault LLP, who is overseeing revisions to planning processes and the creation of the new RFP.
Augello said the RFP will be structured to allow the city to hire firms and individuals to ensure “depth of bench” in specialized areas.
Commissioner Deborah Scaccianoce recommended that the city raise its qualification standards for the position.
“Qualifications for a city planner include a bachelor’s degree — sometimes it’s a master’s degree,” she said. “At the very least, they need to have an AICP certification. And right now, the only qualifications are three years’ experience, and I’m not comfortable with that.”
Augello said the revised RFP will appear on the commission’s Dec. 4 meeting agenda and commissioners should submit any comments through the clerk to avoid Sunshine Law conflicts.
Mayor John Chappie also reminded the board that once advertised, discussions over the RFP will enter a mandatory “cone of silence.”