Hurricane Andrew. Hurricane Harvey. Hurricane Irma. Just a few examples of why Florida has some of the most stringent and strict building codes. We have these codes in place to protect Sarasota County, our city and its citizens from destruction and disasters that mother nature throws our way. Without them, our small town could look worse. Thankfully, this is evidence that what we are doing is working.

Right now, Sarasota County is creating a Unified Development Code that updates and brings together the land development and zoning regulations, all of which control the development of all properties throughout Sarasota County.

As an industry, the building community takes pride in the longevity of any structures built. Everyone from the architects and engineers to general contractors and the trade industries adhere to these policies.

The builders know what type of nail, what size nail and every other detail that goes into these codes and how they work. It’s a code that not only the construction industry compiles with but also the government, inspectors and Florida Power and Light, with the community coming together as one.

Sarasota County should be commended for balancing the need for economic development and attracting much-needed quality jobs to the community. Eliminating inconsistencies and potentially obsolete provisions to the existing policies and codes in the Unified Development Code is smart. Once those regulations become too strict or cumbersome, however, they will hinder business and development. Striking that balance will be critically important. A pragmatic approach will need to be taken to provide for the current protections of the code while not deterring business and job creation to remain competitive.

The Sarasota County staff are involved in discussions with various representatives of the community, including The Argus Foundation, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and other public review bodies. Members of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange have also been engaged and played a part in these meetings and this process, and as always, are here to act as a resource to the county as they seek to update and revise the Unified Development Code. This is an example of the business community working together for the greater good of Sarasota County. 

The community is being engaged through public workshops to review draft language for the Unified Development Code. The next two workshops on Oct. 18 and Nov. 7 will be held at 6 p.m. at the Main Hall of the Nokomis Community Center. I would recommend that the business and construction community and Sarasota County citizens take an interest in this process, which is extremely important for our area’s continued prosperity based on collaboration and expertise from all sectors.

Mary Dougherty is executive director of the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange.