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Anna Maria Wash Settlement House

Wash Family Construction reaches settlement with city

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Wash Family Construction owner Darrin Wash and the city of Anna Maria have agreed to a settlement that exceeds $56,000 for permitting fees and additional expenses owed to the city.

City commissioners authorized the settlement agreement on Thursday, Nov. 29.

“The city recently became aware that the contractor had submitted certain applications for building permits which understated the amount of the cost of the proposed construction in both FEMA-related and non-FEMA related residential properties through the use of ‘double contracts,’ and as a result the city began proceedings against the contractor to be held before the city’s Local Construction Regulation Board (LCRB),” the settlement agreement states.

The settlement negates the need for Wash to appear before the regulation board that consists of three Planning and Zoning Board members, who in that capacity have the authority to prohibit Wash and his company from obtaining city-issued permits.

According to a spreadsheet included in the meeting packet, Wash Family Construction, between 2012 and 2017, requested city-issued permits for 20 projects with a total stated contract value of $2.6 million. The actual value of the contracts was $5.09 million. This produced $2.48 million discrepancy between the stated contract values and the actual contract values, and the company now owes the city $49,696 in additional permitting fees.

Wash is required to pay the city $4,139 per month until that balance is paid off. If a payment is missed, the remaining balance becomes due in full and a regulation board hearing will be scheduled.

The settlement agreement also requires Wash to pay $2,100 for services provided by building official Luke Curtis, $4,500 for services provided by City Attorney Becky Vose and $124 to reimburse Vose for a plane ticket.

Wash also agrees to be shadowed for one year at his expense by a contractor of the city’s choice, who will have full access to financial matters and documents related to his permitting requests in Anna Maria.

The settlement agreement requires Wash to issue a public admission/apology to the city regarding the misuse of double contracts and a promise that the contractor will never again make inaccurate statements regarding construction costs.

The settlement agreement states the contractor admitted wrongdoing regarding the understated contracts and that neither the city or any city officials were aware of or complicit in the “misdeeds and bad actions of the contractor.”

These matters stem from a 2016 lawsuit in which Wash claimed Martin and Threse Hurbi owed his company $94,208 for renovations made to their single-story vacation rental at 759 North Shore Drive. Wash sought a lien on the property and requested it be sold to pay for the work.

The Hurbis’ attorney filed a counterclaim alleging the couple was charged for work not performed, overcharged for work performed, charged for materials not delivered and that some work was defective. An amended counterclaim filed in April 2017 alleged Wash committed FEMA fraud.

The city became aware of the FEMA fraud allegations last August.

Eighteen of the 20 projects listed in the settlement spreadsheet were subject to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) 50 percent substantial improvement rule. The rule states that if the cost of improvements or repairs exceeds 50 percent of the market value of the building, it must be brought up to current floodplain management standards.

After leaving the commission chambers, Wash said, “I’m thankful for Anna Maria letting me do this.”

Anna Maria City Pier

Second pier construction RFP being issued

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Mayor Dan Murphy expects a new request for proposals (RFP) for the construction of a new city pier to be issued by the end of this week.

During the Aug. 23 City Commission meeting, Murphy said he expected to have those RFPs returned to the city by late September.

The mayor, the contracted pier engineer and some city staff members will review and rank the pier construction proposals received, and Murphy will then present the highest ranked firm for commission consideration. When contacted later, Murphy his goal was to present his recommendation to the commission in early October.

The commission can then direct Murphy to begin negotiations with the highest-ranked firm or it can reject all proposals received – as it did in late July regarding the two proposals received in response to the original construction RFP.

Largo-based Speeler & Associates, the firm that demolished the pier, submitted a bid for $3.72 million and Tampa-based i+iconSOUTHEAST bid $4.13 million to build the new pier platform. The original RFP did not seek bids for the construction of the restaurant and bait shop spaces at the T-end of the pier. Those items were to be addressed later in a separate bid.

The mayor and commission unanimously agreed those bids were higher than anticipated or desired and the decision was made to issue a new RFP based on modified construction specifications. Murphy said he had hoped the bids would be closer to $2.5 million for the construction of the pier platform.

Murphy is optimistic the revised RFP will generate interest from marine construction firms.

“We’ll get plenty of attention. This project is something that any company can put in their portfolio. It’s high-profile because of the age of the pier, the history of the pier and the importance of the pier to our community, our county and to the state for that matter. It’s a feather in anybody’s cap,” Murphy said.

FEMA permit

Murphy also told the commission the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has informed the city that it cannot start construction of the new pier until FEMA has reviewed and authorized all the pier plans.

Murphy said the city is not going to obtain any of the project funding requested from FEMA until FEMA approves the project. The building and decking at the T-end of the pier were damaged last September during Hurricane Irma.

“At this point, it’s around $1.8 million that we’ve requested,” Murphy said of the city’s funding request.

Murphy said he and city staff have sought assistance from the offices of U.S. Senators Bill Nelson and Marco Rubio, and he had a meeting scheduled with Congressman Vern Buchanan this week.

“It’s our understanding that when it comes to FEMA claims in the state of Florida we’re number one; we’re at the top of the list. Rubio’s staff guy called me and assured me that they were on top of it. They were putting on as much pressure as they can. The city clerk has spent a couple hours every day on the phone and using emails putting pressure on these people,” Murphy said.

“I feel comfortable this FEMA thing will come to resolution just about in time with the reception of the bids and we can then get started,” Murphy said.

He also said he hopes he and the commission don’t have to make a decision about proceeding with the pier project without FEMA funding.

“We can get more money from other sources, but I would prefer we do this the right way and we keep going on a straight and narrow. We’re entitled to the FEMA dollars, so we’re going to go after those first,” Murphy said.

Related coverage

Pier construction permits issued

Pier construction bids rejected

Pier demolition ahead of schedule

Strickland fired

Flood insurance discounts jeopardized

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Anna Maria, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Building Official Jimmy Strickland has been terminated for inactions that could result in higher flood insurance premiums for property owners in the city of Anna Maria.

City officials are awaiting a final determination on whether corrective actions taken by City Engineer Lynn Burnett and others will prevent the loss of the 25 percent flood insurance premium discounts given to policyholders in Anna Maria.

The discounts were earned during the city’s 20-year participation in the Community Ratings System (CRS). As part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Flood Insurance Program, the CRS is a voluntary incentive program that provides flood insurance discounts of 5 to 45 percent to communities that exceed minimum requirements for reducing flood damage and encouraging floodplain management.

Burnett anticipates a determination from CRS reviewer Chris Carpenter within two weeks. Carpenter has already recommended to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA that Anna Maria lose its CRS discount.

If the discount is eliminated or reduced, rates would increase for policyholders when their policies are renewed.

“We’re kind of at the mercy of FEMA at this point.”
Dan Murphy, Anna Maria Mayor

Written notice

On Oct. 30, Carpenter sent Strickland an email addressing his failure to produce documents requested during the CRS compliance review that began in December 2016.

“This is to advise that I am recommending to DHS/FEMA that the CRS classification for the city of Anna Maria retrograde from Class 5 to Class 10 effective May 1, 2018,” Carpenter wrote.

A Class 5 community receives 25 percent flood insurance discounts. A Class 10 community receives no discount.

“To date, I have only received material relative to two CRS activities. This score alone will not be sufficient to document at least 500 points needed to remain in the program,” Carpenter wrote.

Carpenter’s email caught Mayor Dan Murphy by complete surprise and prompted an email to Strickland that said, “Please advise in our meeting tomorrow as to how this happened.”

Murphy then suspended Strickland and asked him to appear at the Thursday, Nov. 30 City Commission meeting. That appearance resulted in a 4-0 vote to terminate the services Strickland provided the city as a contracted employee of the M.T. Causley engineering firm.

Strickland became the building official in 2015. He was suspended in August after he issued a building permit without requiring the FEMA-mandated significant improvement appraisal that determines if the proposed work qualifies as renovation or new construction. The commission gave Strickland a vote of confidence that allowed him to return to work, but stipulated he attend FEMA training and Sunshine Law training, which he failed to do.

CRS rating jeopardized
Anna Maria Commissioners express their displeasure with Building Official Jimmy Strickland. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

City response

In response to Carpenter’s email, the city requested additional time, and staff was given 20 days to submit the documents needed to establish CRS compliance.

Murphy praised the efforts of Burnett, Pam Gibbs and Angela Albrecht, and said to the commission, “We’re kind of at the mercy of FEMA at this point.”

Drainage and stormwater improvements made in recent years produced the CRS rating city officials hope to salvage.

“We have followed the guidelines and improved the city, but we did an inadequate job of giving FEMA that information,” Murphy said.

“For this to come up is shocking. Why didn’t you go to the mayor and say we need help?” Commissioner Doug Copeland asked Strickland, noting that staff did in 20 days what he failed to do in a year.

Commissioner Brian Seymour agreed that Strickland should have brought this to the mayor’s attention. He later made the motion to terminate Strickland.

“I didn’t realize the sheer volume of the all the information needed,” Strickland told the commission.

Strickland cited a heavy workload and acknowledged he had no experience or expertise regarding FEMA compliance. He suggested the city hire a fulltime FEMA/CRS coordinator.

“You failed in your responsibility to look out for our city, our people and our rating system,” Commissioner Dale Woodland said.

“Causley knew we needed somebody with those requirements. I take exception to someone being put in a position this important and not having the skills,” Commissioner Nancy Yetter said.

Causley regional manager Tom Walsh said, “I just looked at the contract. It does indicate the building official should be the FEMA coordinator.”

Walsh offered to “make things right” by providing a new building official with FEMA expertise. Murphy said he would consider this, but he later told the commission he was leaning toward directly hiring a fully qualified building official.

FEMA returns to library this week

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Community News.

HOLMES BEACH – Representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will return to Anna Maria Island on Wednesday, Oct. 4 from noon to 7 p.m. and Thursday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.

Residents are advised to bring:

  • One social security number per household
  • The address of the damaged home or apartment
  • Description of the damage
  • Information about insurance coverage
  • Phone number
  • Mailing address
  • Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds

FEMA staffers will assist residents seeking aid for damage from Hurricane Irma. They earlier visited the library on Sept. 23.

FEMA representatives available to assist Irma victims

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Archives.

HOLMES BEACH – For anyone affected by Hurricane Irma, help is on the way.

Representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, at the Island Branch Library, 5701 Marina Drive, Holmes Beach, to answer questions.

Residents and property owners with questions about what programs they may qualify for or who need help filling out FEMA paperwork are encouraged to attend. Assistance will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis. No reservations are needed.

To apply for FEMA assistance, attendees must bring along a Social Security number, telephone number, mailing address and property insurance information. Also bring the address of the damaged property, a description of the damage and banking information for direct deposit of funds.

Other application submission options are by phone at 1-800-621-3362, 1-800-462-7585 for TTY users, or online at https://www.DisasterAssistance.gov.

After applications are submitted, FEMA inspectors will contact applicants to schedule on-site inspections to verify disaster-related loss. Proof of property ownership or residence also is required. No fees are charged for inspections. More than one inspector may visit the property during the verification process.

After review, all decisions are sent to applicants in writing by e-mail or physical mail.

For more information, or to see what programs are available, visit FEMA’s Hurricane Irma web page.

Flooded street in Holmes Bea

Elevation certificate could drop insurance costs

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Business, Insurance.

To slow rising flood insurance premiums, owners of residential, rental and business properties should consider getting elevation certificates, FEMA advises.

Letters are on their way to local mailboxes notifying property owners that hiring a licensed surveyor, engineer or architect to obtain an elevation certificate could lower premiums, said Janice Mitchell, a FEMA regional insurance specialist in Atlanta.

Even if the certificate does not result in lower premiums, it would not trigger an increase higher than the existing rate increase schedule, she said.

For some policyholders who own property in high-risk flood areas like Anna Maria Island, annual flood insurance premiums are increasing from 5 to 18 percent for primary residences and up to 25 percent for non-primary residences insured under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Whether or not you get an elevation certificate, be careful not to let your flood insurance policy lapse.

The increases are mandated by the federal Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act to phase out discounted rates on such properties, gradually increasing their premiums up to their full risk, or actuarial, rates.

Among the affected policyholders are owners of pre-FIRM properties, those built or substantially improved on or before Dec. 31, 1974, when Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) were adopted, or before the effective date of the initial Flood Insurance Rate Map for the community in which the property is located. Anna Maria’s flood insurance rate map is dated Feb. 1, 1984, while Bradenton Beach and Holmes Beach maps are both dated June 11, 1971, according to FEMA records.

Whether or not you get an elevation certificate, be careful not to let your flood insurance policy lapse, Mitchell said, because if it is discounted, it will be reissued at the full risk premium.

For more information, visit www.FEMA.gov/cost-of-flood.