06-04-97 v MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING OF ATLANTIC BEACH CITY
COMMISSION HELD IN COMMISSION CHAMBERS AT 7:15 PM ON WEDNESDAY,
JUNE 4, 1997
Present: Lyman T. Fletcher, Mayor
Mike Borno
John Meserve
Steve Rosenbloom, and
Suzanne Shaughnessy, Commissioners
Also: Jim Jarboe, City Manager
Don Ford, Building Official
George Worley, City Planner
Don Wolfson, Community Development Board Chairman
Maureen King, City Clerk
The meeting, which was held for the purpose of reviewing the draft of the rewrite of Chapter
24 of the Code of Ordinances, was called to order by Mayor Fletcher. Before beginning the
review of the ordinance, the Mayor asked Building Inspector, Don Ford, to report on a recent
inspection of a residence on Ocean Boulevard. Mr. Ford reported he had found that several
alterations had been made to be building and no permits had been issued for the work. Also,
it was apparent that the building was being used for commercial purposes rather than as a
residence. He indicated the occupants had been cited on various violations, including
violating the zoning code, performing work without a permit, operating a business without
a license, etc. A special meeting of the Code Enforcement Board has been called to deal
with the matter.
Discussion ensued regarding the work which had gone into producing the draft which had
been provided to each Commissioner before the meeting. George Worley explained a
committee which was appointed by former Mayor Gulliford, had met twice a month for
about two years and had worked meticulously to make sure the definitions were consistent
with other chapters of the code, and also had tried to address conflicts between Chapter 24
and other sections of the code. The draft was then forwarded to the Community
Development Board for further review.
The City Manager indicated that many sections of the city code were flawed and outdated
and he would like to have the entire code rewritten. However, since a great deal of work had
already gone into the current draft of the zoning code, he suggested getting someone with a
land-use background to review the document to make sure that it would meet the needs of
the city and also keep the city safe, legally.
Page Two
Minutes of Commission Workshop
June 4, 1997
Commissioner Rosenbloom suggested getting someone with expertise in land use and city
planning to visit Atlantic Beach and help to draft a master plan that would protect and
maintain the character of the city. The Mayor agreed it was important to preserve the
character of the city but felt that since most of the Commissioners had lived in the city for
many years, they may have a better idea of the image they want the city to project.
Don Wolfson indicated that while he agreed with the concept of developing a master plan,
the conflicts in the current zoning code needed to be addressed immediately. As the code
is currently written, it was extremely difficult for the Community Development Board to do
their job. He felt the ordinance has been very well revised and was ready for action by the
City Commission. Commissioner Shaughnessy agreed.
Commissioner Borno felt that since staff used the city code daily in their jobs, they could
best address the conflicts. He would like to establish parameters of what the City
Commission felt the city should be and then make sure future ordinances were drafted to
comply with those parameters.
Commissioner Meserve felt the code had many conflicts and agreed with the City Manager
that the entire code should be rewritten. He also agreed that a professional should be hired
to assist with the task. He felt there should be one set of definitions which would be applied
throughout the entire code.
Following further discussion it was agreed to include an item on the agenda for the
Commission meeting on Monday, June 9, to authorize the City Manager to seek the services
of a professional whose scope of services would be two-fold: 1) Review the draft of Chapter
24 for consistency and legal sufficiency, and 2) Assist in rewriting the entire City Code to
comply with the 2010 plan. It was suggested that George Worley begin writing the
parameters on which the new city code would be based.
There being no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM.
Maureen King
Certified Municipal Clerk