Officer Kopp (yes, he's heard them all) visits Kiwanis Club

Before getting down to code enforcement discussion, Chris Kopp first addressed what was on everybody's mind — yes, he is Officer Kopp. Yes, he's heard all the jokes before. 

Kopp, the town's code enforcement officer, attended the Nov. 19 Kiwanis Club of Longboat Key meeting to share his story and what code enforcement actually is. Kopp is a former Marine and police officer and had started his own business when the pandemic began. Like many, his plans changed — and he actually saw the listing for the code enforcement job while visiting Longboat Key with his family. 

Kopp explained what code enforcement is and how he goes about his day. There's only one town code enforcement officer and probably thousands of little code violations all over the island. He loves his job and making a difference in a small town, but not every day is easy, as his job is often to tell people they're doing something wrong. 

"I always tell people, if you have a problem that can wait 24 hours, I'm your guy," Kopp said. 

After sharing what he does, Kopp took several questions on Longboat Key code enforcement. The next Kiwanis meeting will be 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 3 at the Lazy Lobster. Police chief Kelli Smith will be the speaker.