Winter Garden city commissioners have passed a new inspection ordinance, but it does not come without concerns. Ordinance 18-37 sets new rules and operating standards for how commercial and residential builders hire private companies.
The ordinance that city leaders passed at their most recent meeting on October 25 particularly does change how builders are able to interact with these companies when reviewing site plans and doing code inspections. State law has always had provisions allowing the hiring of private companies, but builders operating in Winter Garden have only recently taken advantage of the option because of the city’s tough inspection proceedings.
Residents who joined the city commissioners stressed that the ordinance includes provisions that protected consumers. They also wanted to know what actions the city would take when builders violate the state’s code requirements.
According to Winter Garden City Manager Mike Bollhoeffer, the city has had the biggest issues with the builder, Lennar Homes. While they cannot prevent the hiring of private inspection companies, they are going to put together a task force that allows them to audit inspectors.
