CERTIFIED CODE INVESTIGATOR I
Code Enforcement Division
Monday - Friday
8am - 5pm
Paygrade 12 - $19.89/hr. ($41,371.20 annually)
Office Location: 330 W. Church Street Bartow, FL 33830

Must have the physical, developmental, and mental ability to perform job tasks, work efforts, responsibilities and duties of the job illustrated below. The job description herein provides for the range of duties to be performed for this position. It is not intended to reflect all duties that are required within this position.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Code Investigator I, responds to and conducts inspections of private properties and public facilities, including but not limited to commercial, residential, industrial, agricultural, manufacturing, salvage, construction sites, rental units, business, storage and special hazardous facilities and situations. Receives and performs inspection requests from citizens, state, and local agencies (Health Dept., FDEP, SWFWMD, PCSO) and self-initiated observation. Works directly with the public, legal counsel and any other state or governmental regulatory agency or private business to provide reliable information on all code enforcement issues related to the health, safety, and welfare of the community.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES
Technical Abilities
• Performs area field inspections to enforce compliance with the Land Development Code, Florida Building Codes, and various County ordinances.
• Interprets and appropriately applies and enforces all regulatory enforcement violations within the Division under the scope of the County's authority.
• Investigates, gathers evidence, interviews witnesses, complainant/neighbor, takes photographs and conducts research.
• Researches land ownership by using legal descriptions, tax records, Property Appraiser records, deeds, and other related documentation.
• Prepares an accurate descriptive narrative summary of findings on conditions regarding each assigned case and results inspection.
• Performs interior and exterior inspections of substandard residential dwellings to determine and enforce the Structural Maintenance Ordinance, including a detailed report of the minimum housing inspection results.
• Interprets and applies the Land Development Code on matters involving a Variance, Change in Land Use, Temporary Special Exception for Commercial Vehicle Parking and Medical Hardships, pre-construction meetings and any commercial or industrial related land use projects, planning, existing and new construction.
• Assists citizens on matters requiring a building permit, engineering, and variances, when a project must be demolished.
• Assists with projects involving flooding and drainage matters and work with Roads & Drainage Division.
• Interprets and understands the Waste & Recycling contract for garbage and yard waste disposal requirements and what constitutes excessive bulk waste.
• Identifies illegally dumped items on the right of way and disperses to appropriate Division or agency for removal and investigation.
• Performs duties of average difficulty requiring reasonable initiative and independent judgment under direct supervision of Level III or Level IV Investigators.
• Opens/generates new cases and knowledgeable in the Code Enforcement computer program and any related programs utilized within the Division.
• Develops power point presentations, stipulated agreements, labels evidence and prepares testimony for cases subject to cross-examination, to be presented to the Polk County Special Magistrate and/ or at Appellate hearings.
• Works alongside the Building Official and Building Inspectors to placard stop work orders and unsafe structure/condemn notices for tracking and enforcement.
• Prepares correspondence to request aerial photographic flyovers by Land Development as part of case investigation.
• Prepares daily route for inspection sites using traditional and web-based maps, as well as GPS technology
• Identifies Damage Assessment, placards and reports requirements to FEMA; identifies structures for power pulls, required permitting and those unfit for habitation.
Customer Relations
• Advises and/or ensures that codes, ordinances, and laws are conformed with or issues appropriate violation notification and posts property for legal service to ensure due process.
• Communicates effectively with property owners, tenants, and/or complainants to determine the nature of the complaint and violation, if any; interprets and explains all code regulations enforced within Division.
• Assists, advises, and guides property owners, tenants, complainants, attorneys, or other concerned parties in working within the regulations to bring a code violation into compliance, including multiple follow-up inspections.
• Communicates regularly with permit technicians, land development planners, flood plain technicians, building, construction and fire inspectors, roads & drainage, waste and recycling, hazardous waste, real estate, other divisions, and external agencies to provide coordinated responses to customers.
• Coordinates and attends community meetings and events within neighborhoods to provide educational assistance and address needs within assigned area.
Other Duties
• Communicates with supervisors and other senior investigators about field inspections in which guidance is required.
• Provides damage assessment assistance to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during times of emergency.
• Oversees the work of a contracted abatement vendor who is assigned to remedy the code violation on a case the Investigator has noticed, enforceable by ordinance or Special Magistrate order of enforcement.
• Reports, documents, and photographs evidence for any damages caused by contracted abatement vendors while under direction of assigned case Investigator or designee.
• Works in hazardous conditions during regular inspections and depending on certain hazardous circumstances, follows mandatory State reporting guidelines, including but not limited to the mandatory abatement, containment, and remediation of a site.
• Addresses situations/violations involving homeless camps, hoarders, law enforcement related death investigations and search warrants.
• Works in various inclement weather conditions for various related work assignments.
• Functions as project manager on sites where nuisance abatements take place, and exercises great deal of oversite on such projects.
• Works with the PCSO Environmental Unit and State DEP office on special projects.
• Conduct community presentations and clean-ups with Keep Polk County Beautiful.

For the first year, Investigator works directly with Field Training Officer/Senior Investigator (Level III or Level IV Investigator) while performing inspections of substandard residential dwellings to determine and enforce the Structural Maintenance Ordinance, more difficult land use
violations and grandfather determinations for a legal non-conforming use. Discusses with
property owner(s) necessary work needed to bring dwelling(s) up to minimum standards and bring code violations into compliance. Explains and interprets regulations to property owners and occupants to secure corrective action. Inspects private residential properties and commercial rentals to determine the conditions required to meet the Minimum Housing Code standards for occupancy and structural integrity of building. Reviews and evaluates dwellings and structures after property owner has complied with violation notice of deficiencies to ensure that requirements have been met. Signs off on case with approval of Level III or Level IV Investigator.
The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform some or all of the duties listed.

KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES AND SKILLS
• Knowledge and understanding of safety hazards during property abatements involving hoarders, death investigations and search warrants where a crime has taken place.
• Must be familiar with annual mobile home park annual licensing and inspection requirements.
• Must be familiar with permitted septage spreading requirements through the State and Polk County Utilities Division.
• Working knowledge of the sign code and identification as it relates to illegal signs on the right of way and removal/disposal of the same, private property sign violations.

Ability and training to utilize issued safety equipment including but not limited to work boots, gloves, garbage collection equipment, posting stakes, safety/ballistic vests and police issued radios (appropriate dialogue: 10 codes & signals).
• Ability to train, identify and have a working knowledge on what to do involving chemical spills, hazardous waste sites and drug paraphernalia awareness.
• Ability to train and certify in Disaster Response techniques and guidelines, including required FEMA and Incident Command certifications.
• Must have the mental, physical and verbal ability to think and respond quickly while remaining courteous and professional while safely interacting with the public during situations involving encounters with aggressive, hostile, mentally ill or unstable citizens, hoarders or during a death investigation or search warrant.
• Knowledge of process for referral and inspection of structures that pre-qualify for demolition.
• Ability to interpret and understand the Florida Building Code, Polk County Land Development codes, regulations, laws, State and Federal rules and county ordinances.
• Knowledge of principles, practices and techniques used in code enforcement.
• Knowledge of the contracted Waste & Recycling pick-up and disposal requirements.
• Knowledge of Illegal Dumping statutes and reporting/disposal guidelines for Polk County.
• Knowledge of Roads & Drainage processes as it relates to the application process for vacating right of way and closing off roads.
• Knowledge of Roads & Drainage sign, right of way and flood complaint processes.
• Knowledge of Land Development uses and application/hearing processes.
• Knowledge of Building permitting and construction review/processes.
• Knowledge of Utilities water and wastewater function and processes.
• Knowledge of Polk County Housing and Community Development programs.
• Ability to use a personal computer and peripheral equipment utilized within the work unit and field.
• Possesses working knowledge on the use, application, and capabilities of word processing, spreadsheet, and database software.
• Ability to learn and use the County's version of the Geographic Information System (GIS) for daily use, land use determination and the Damage Assessment program during a disaster related event.
• Ability to complete and write clear, concise and accurate narratives, forms and reports.
• Ability to use good judgment in evaluating situations and making independent decisions and/or recommendations.
• Ability to drive from work site to work site to look at and provide investigative related work.
• Ability to speak in a manner that can be understood and effectively communicate both orally and in writing.

Ability to see and distinguish colors, talk, bend, stoop, sit and stand independently.
• Ability to lift, push and/or pull materials or equipment which may weigh up to 50 pounds, for a short distance.
• Ability to establish and maintain an effective working relationship with the public, officials, and other employees.
• Ability to perform investigator work in all weather conditions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Graduate of an accredited high school or possess an acceptable diploma and have a minimum of one (1) year real estate, building construction, investigation, governmental regulatory work or related work experience.
Certifications Required:
Must have at time of employment or obtain within one year:
1. Florida Association of Code Enforcement (F.A.C.E.) Level I or Fundamentals of Code Enforcement Certification
2. Polk County Code Enforcement Property Maintenance Certification
3. Successful completion of the 20-week Field Training Program.
Employee may be subject to termination if unable to meet these requirements.
Must have a valid driver's license and be able to secure a valid Florida driver's license at the time of employment within this classification.
No comparable amount of education, training, certifications and/or experience may be substituted for the above minimum qualifications.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Must obtain and maintain Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Awareness certification through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) Employees hired into this position must obtain and maintain this certification as a condition of employment.
Applicant/employee shall be fingerprinted and subject to personal background investigation procedures to ascertain an evaluation and determination of moral character.
Must successfully clear pre-employment psychological evaluation.
This position may be required to report for work when a declaration of emergency has been declared in Polk County.

SPECIAL PREFERENCE
Polk County reserves the right to give special preference to those applicants who are qualified in specialty trades for which we have the most need.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Must undergo a Level 2 (FDLE) screening submitted electronically before commencing work. Those obtaining this certification must maintain certification as a condition of employment.

This position may be required to report for work when a declaration of emergency has been declared in Polk County.