Punta Gorda building official pitches new permitting software to cut paperwork, improve inspections

Punta Gorda City building official Ronka Howitz told a City Council workshop that the building department plans to replace its largely paper-based permitting system with modern digital permitting software to reduce processing time, tighten security and centralize records.

Howitz said the current system forces staff to manage dozens of paper folders, create repetitive digital records and perform extensive manual scanning. He said the department currently maintains 15 different permit-application types, must click through 20 screens and make roughly 63 separate clicks to create a single permit entry in the existing software. “It’s 63 clicks and 20 different screens to create a permit,” Howitz said.

Why it matters: Howitz and other staff described operational problems that affect permitting speed, contractor licensing checks, inspections and flood-zone compliance. He said the city spends tens of thousands of dollars each year scanning and storing plans and records — “this year alone $43,000 in scanning, another $50,000 plus. We are gonna be…