Building official resigns

Longboat Key Building Official Randy Fowler, a 34-year employee of the town, issued a resignation memo to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis Thursday, June 18.

Fowler, 56, made his decision a year after receiving a pay raise, an additional two weeks vacation and the ability to draw his pension while collecting a new annual salary of $92,622.40.

Town Manager Bruce St. Denis said building inspector John Fernandez might assume the title of interim building official.

Said Fowler in his memo: “It was one year ago that I met with Bruce to talk about remaining with the town for an additional year. I hope to leave the town with all good feelings and being able to respect the actions of my town as a whole.”

Fowler, however, didn’t have a glowing report of his former employer in an interview with The Longboat Observer.

The town’s longest tenured employee says he was frustrated with how the town handled the department, was upset that layoffs in his department last month were made without his knowledge and claims that the building department losses in the past couple of years could have been avoided if the town wouldn’t have decreased its permit fees years ago.

For more information, pick up a copy of the Thursday, June 25 Longboat Observer.

Contact Kurt Schultheis at [email protected].