Manatee County addresses favoritism in building department

In response to evidence of favoritism under former Building and Development Services Director John Barnott's tenure of more than 20 years, Manatee County is taking steps to address concerns raised by the county clerk's Inspector General.

County Administrator Scott Hopes hosted a press conference Wednesday in response to a 93-page report by the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court's Division of Inspector General that illustrated a pattern of favoritism by Barnott.

"This went on for a number of years," Hopes said at the news conference. "This was not something that just happened. It had been ongoing for some time, and it created a culture of favoritism in the department, and that's not the way I manage organizations, nor is it the way in which this board of county commissioners expects Manatee County government to conduct business."

In case you missed it: Inspector General: Favoritism claims against Manatee County Building and Services substantiated

And: Manatee approves permits for Sarasota Medieval Fair just in time for opening day

Related: Sarasota Medieval Fair property at heart of corruption investigation

Shaking up the building department

Hopes highlighted actions the county has taken to address allegations of favoritism since he was hired by the county in April last year.

The county hired Brown Law & Consulting firm to conduct an investigation on behalf of the county government, independently of the Inspector General's investigation, and the firm delivered its findings in the fall.

Some of the recommendations from those findings already have been implemented. The county's code enforcement division has been transferred to the county’s Public Safety Department.

"In that environment, the operations are more under a chain-of-command type of management style," Hopes said, "which brought a new level of compliance to code enforcement."

The county hired Courtney De Pol as director in January of the newly renamed Development Services Department, and she has since recruited Bill Palmer to serve as the county's building division manager.

A new group called the Division of Code Enhancement was created under De Pol's development services department to fill the void left by the transfer of code enforcement.

"Ms. De Pol has implemented a number of changes in protocol as well as compliance, and they are currently operating under a different style of management with new controls in place to ensure that the policies of the board of county commissioners are followed and that every applicant for permits in Manatee County are treated equally and fairly," Hopes said.

The county also is emphasizing training on rules and policies and has developed formal procedures and standard operating policies to increased accountability in code enforcement cases.

Department directors are reviewing the Inspector General's report this week to determine if any further corrective actions need to be taken, Hopes said.

John Barnott's integrity in question

The Inspector General's report named Barnott in seven instances dating back as far as 2016 where he appeared to skirt policies in favor of people with whom he had professional or personal relationships.

Barnott was among six employees who were placed under paid administrative leave in September to facilitate the investigation. Other employees have since been allowed to return to work.

"There was basically interference among certain individuals in the department with the investigation, and it was necessary to basically move a number of people out of the department to allow for the interviews to take place in the investigation," Hopes said.

Barnott retired about a week after being placed on leave, Hopes said, but following the Inspector General's report, county officials are reviewing potential action against him.

"Now that we have this report, both the general counsel's office and HR will be looking at any potential action that should be taken related to any of the employees that are named in the report," Hopes said.

Attorney Melton Little, who represents Barnott, declined comment for this story. In December he denied claims of favoritism when he responded to 20 questions by the Inspector General's office in a four-page written response.

"There is not now nor will there be in the future any evidence to indicate that Mr. Barnott performed in any manner other than an exemplary member and employee of Manatee County," Little wrote in the response.

Sarasota Medieval Fair moving forward

The investigation was sparked by questions surrounding the Sarasota Medieval Fair raised by former code enforcement officer Tanya Shaw.

The report indicates the investigation into claims that property owner Jeremy Croteau was conducting unpermitted work on the fair property was largely mishandled by staff and found no evidence of favoritism in relation to the case despite the seven separate instances that involved Barnott.

Previously: Sarasota Medieval Fair responds to questions about agritourism designation

On Wednesday, Hopes said the fair would likely continue next year pending proper permitting under Florida's agritourism laws, which were approved last year prior to the fair. He said at the time the county had not yet developed guidelines for proper application for agritourism exemptions.

"Prior to the start of the fair, they were very open with us and we had an entire team that went out just to ensure safety codes were complied with," Hopes said. "They were able to conduct a fair that went safely, there were traffic concerns, and they are currently being subjected to the permit process for agritourism."

"I have every confidence that the relationship that we have built with them, they will continue the process to ensure that they have adequate permits to again hold the fair this fall," he said.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee addresses favoritism under former building and development services director John Barnott