NSBNEWS.net photo by Sera Frederick.
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NSBNEWS.net Investigative Reporting
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NSB's Planning Debacle
Chad Lingenfelter, New Smyrna Beach's chief planner remained on the job Friday, despite calls from Mayor Adam Barringer for his ouster for his role in not sending up final paperwork for state approval on 29 land-use amendments affecting 72 community development projects. NSBNEWS.net broke the story earlier this month.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- City officials got word Friday that Florida Department of Community Affairs Secretary Thomas Pelham had signed off on their request to expedite a review of 29 proposed land-use amendments affecting 72 large- and small-scale projects -- including a Wal-Mart Supercenter near I-95 and a hotel on Flagler Avenue -- that had come to a grinding halt earlier late last month after it was discovered that two city planners had not sent up final paperwork dating back five years.
Pelham's office notified City Attorney Frank Gummey who then informed City Manager Pam Brangaccio, Planning Manager Gail Henrickson confirmed over the weekend. As of the close of business Friday, embattled Chief Planner Chad Lingenfelter remained employed despite calls by Mayor Adam Barringer for his termination and no reprimand or other official documentation had been placed in his personnel file, even after he acknowledged to the city manager that he hadn't sent up the paperwork in his four years.
Earlier this month, Mark Rakowski, who was Lingenfelter's supervisor as director of developmental services before he was fired in November, admitted in an e-mail to the local media after NSBNEWS.net broke the story on the planning debacle that the job was not done, and although he apologized, he offered no explanation as to why. Neither has Lingenfelter explained his actions as he continued along with his duties after Rakowski was let go in an upper management shake-up.
Pelham's endorsement was expected, though New Smyrna Beach officials were told by top DCA brass during a July 7 emergency meeting in Tallahassee that they couldn't make any promises, considering their agency is besieged by applications across the state for land-use approvals before the November elections and the proposed Amendment 4, also known as Hometown Democracy, which puts such decisions in the hands of residents as opposed to municipal government.