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 over a $100,000 just scanning documents,” he said — and that the current system lacks internal security and audit trails.

Howitz described specific operational gaps: contractors upload documents by email or in person, permit applications are often handwritten and incomplete, address records are not synchronized with property data for some older developments (he cited Tarpon Cove as an example), and the system does not reliably prevent duplicate permits or duplicated inspections. He also warned that because about “95% of the city is in a flood zone,” accurate permit records and inspection tracking are critical for compliance with floodplain requirements.

On contractor licensing and validation, Howitz said the department now receives paper submissions for roughly 2,000 contractor renewals per year and must manually create and scan folders. Under the proposed software, contractors would register online, upload licenses and insurance, and staff would verify documentation digitally. Howitz described how digital plan review would allow multiple reviewers to annotate the same set of plans simultaneously, reducing repeated correction cycles: “Everybody can review it at the same time, and everybody can put their comments in at the same time. One letter would be generated from all departments, and they get one correction letter.”

Staff and council members discussed costs and timing. Howitz gave a ballpark estimate for a full implementation and said the city has reserved funds: he said staff has “about 420 put aside at the moment” and later discussed rolled funds of roughly $220,000–$225,000 from the prior year plus $200,000 budgeted for the current year; with council approval that re-appropriation would put roughly $400,000 available by October. Howitz cautioned the rollout will take time: he said the department expects to test the software thoroughly and estimated “10 to 12 months before I implement it.”

Procurement and next steps: Planning director Boyd Lawrence said the department submitted a scope and requirements to procurement in the prior week and that procurement will finalize solicitation templates. Lawrence and IT staff emphasized that selection would weigh functional fit and vendor understanding of the city’s needs, not only cost. Howitz warned against choosing the lowest bid without justification: “You don’t wanna take a low bid… you’re gonna end up with something worse than you already had,” he said.

Council and staff also discussed implementation risks: integration with GIS and the property appraiser, annual maintenance costs, and the need to sequence inspections and communications across multiple city systems. Howitz said the new software should handle license validation, automated fee calculations, simultaneous multi-department reviews, secure logins for contractors and digital stamping of approved plans so contractors can reprint stamped plans themselves.

The presentation closed with staff noting the initiative is prioritized by the city, that procurement will present proposals, and that council will be asked to approve any roll-over of existing funds into the new fiscal year before procurement proceeds.