Charlie Bird, chief of police in Winter Haven near Lakeland, will train a dozen police and fire officials for code enforcement on March 1.
The Code Enforcement Compliance Initiative is made up of firefighters, code enforcement and police officers, and the chief director of public safety. The CEC program will teach them how to spot violates in code and how to resolve them peacefully with homeowners.
The week after the workshop, Bird and the rest of the group will walk around the neighborhoods near Winter Haven High to identify violations in what is considered one of the main trouble areas targeted for improvement over the next year. This is an important part of the initiative.
Analyzing the area on foot is more effective than driving by in a car, because walking is slower and brings officials closer to the problem area to see overgrowth and cracks in the pavement. There will be an emphasis on helping citizens fix the problem, not warning them of a fine. New notices say they are a courtesy rather than a violation warning, which should make a difference. Stationary printers can help to make appropriate notices with the town's logo.
The initiative will continue over the next two months and will include communicating with residents to help them come up to code before moving to another area with most of the problem properties.