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Bonita Springs to move rental‑permit processing online as inspections rise
Summary
Neighborhood Services Director Tony Backers told council the rental‑permit program — in place since 2005 — covers about 2,400 properties and completed 2,436 inspections last year; staff will move to online scheduling, payments and tablet inspections with a software rollout planned for late summer.
Tony Backers, director of neighborhood services and emergency management, presented an update on the city’s rental‑permit program and outlined planned operational improvements including an online application, calendar scheduling, credit‑card payments and tablet‑based inspections intended to reduce administrative burden and increase inspection capacity.
Backers said the program, first adopted in 2005 and now operating on a three‑year permit cycle, currently covers roughly 2,400 rental properties. Last year the city completed 2,436 rental inspections. He emphasized life‑safety issues — notably smoke detectors — as the most common cause of inspection failures.
"We know there's approximately 2,400 rental properties within the city," Backers said. He described the current fee structure: a three‑year permit for $100 and a $50 reinspection fee, and said staff will evaluate whether fees should change as efficiencies are attained through the new software.
Council members pressed staff on fee adequacy and enforcement scope: some members asked whether $100 for a three‑year permit still covers the city’s costs for inspection and back‑office work. Staff said the software acquisition is already funded in the budget and that officials will coordinate with finance to evaluate cost‑recovery and whether a convenience charge for credit‑card payments will be passed through to users.
Backers said the software deployment should increase inspection throughput, allow online payments and reduce administrative time so inspectors can spend more time in the field. He also described GIS mapping and automated renewal notices to improve tracking of permits approaching expiration.
Next steps: staff will deploy the software (anticipated August–September), coordinate with finance on fee analysis and provide council updates on performance metrics and possible fee adjustments.
