Setting the Record Straight on the Holiday Island Building Inspector

Periodically something circulates on social media that if not addressed, can be very harmful to the community. So, I try to set the record straight. In this case it’s rumors about our City Building Inspector being notified by the State Building Inspector that he can no longer do inspections. This is totally false and if the person who made a recent post on Nextdoor would have called the city office, he could have had his answer. But then again getting an answer may not have been the motivation for making the post.

This “rumor” may be founded in a recent Facebook post made by a disgruntled contractor who thought or thinks that the City of Holiday Island’s building permit process is, I think he used the term, a joke and that our fees are unreasonable and that he was going to call the State and get our inspector’s license pulled. I don’t know if he ever contacted the State, but I do know that the State has not contacted us.

David Dobrin, the City of Holiday Island building inspector is licensed to do plumbing inspections. Carl Stewart is licensed to do our electrical inspections. We do not do HVAC inspections, and no license or certification is required to inspect foundation and framing work. The municipality determines if the training and/or work experience is sufficient to conduct those inspections. Which we have.

As far as fees go, the fee schedule is set by the city council by ordinance. The building inspector merely enforces the ordinance. If someone has an issue with fees, they should come to the city council to make an appeal. That is the correct way to address issues. Not engaging by venting on social media.

Per the International Residential Building Code, the Building Inspector has the authority to require additional information if he feels that the documentation submitted by the contractor is inadequate. Which is exactly what David did in this situation. I consulted with two other area building inspectors to see if they would have done the same and the answer was yes. I am fully confident in our building inspector, and I would hope that the public appreciates the fact that buildings constructed in Holiday Island will be well built and safe.

Mayor Dan Kees