On Monday, WINK News was the first to tell you that a after two state lawmakers raised concerns before the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee in Tallahassee.
Members of the Cape Coral Construction Industry Association shared hundreds of pages of documentation with state lawmakers that they say proves the city’s building department is misusing funds.
The Cape Coral Construction Industry Association represents various sectors in the building world, including builders, subcontractors, and suppliers.
Cape Coral Construction Industry Association President Keith Quackenbush spoke exclusively with WINK News Anchor Claire Galt on Tuesday.
He said the association contacted Rep. Mike Giallombardo to advocate against potential issues within Cape Coral City Hall.
On Monday, the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee voted unanimously to audit the city.
“We’re seeing a pattern of discriminatory enforcement, inconsistent valuations, operational dysfunction, and financial practices that undermine the intent of Florida law,” Giallombardo said before the committee on Monday.
mandates that building department funds be used solely for building code enforcement.
Quackenbush said records his association obtained show the money is being redirected for other expenses such as fire department costs, payroll for scanning clerks, and hurricane overtime.
“Money that’s collected for building permits and fees and things like that needs to be used for the purposes of the building funding, the building department inspections, and the staff that manages permits and such,” Quackenbush said.
He claims records also show a lack of proper accounting.
“We’ve all been through Ian and understand what that’s about,” he said. “But, there should be a reimbursement, and there should be at least an accounting that shows the money going out.”
WINK Investigates emailed the City of Cape Coral for comment.
A spokesperson said in an email that the city is complying with the audit, but did not comment on any of the allegations.
Quackenbush said the impact extends beyond the city and builders, potentially affecting residents.
“So, the longer it takes for us to get projects approved and certified, sometimes a certificate of occupancy for a new building, for instance, might be delayed,” he said. “That impacts people’s ability to move into the new home.”
WINK Investigates requested records on Tuesday to assess current permit wait times.
We will let you know as soon as we learn more.