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Orange City Council approves $85,600 upgrade to online permitting software to meet state requirement
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Summary
The Orange City Council on April 28 authorized an $85,600 contract amendment to upgrade online permitting and plan‑review software to comply with Florida's online permitting statute, with staff projecting recurring support costs of about $23,500 and annual plan‑review time savings of roughly $72,000. Implementation is expected to take about seven months.
The Orange City Council voted April 28 to authorize a contract amendment and related budget adjustment to implement an online permitting and e‑review platform intended to bring the city into compliance with Florida Statutes governing electronic permitting.
Joe Ruiz, the city's development services director, told the council staff recommends amending the existing Tyler Technologies contract to add DigiPlan and eReview functions. "The first year cost will be $85,600," Ruiz said, adding annual support after implementation would be about $23,500. He told the council the change would automate intake, payments and concurrent plan review and would ‘‘make our reviews up to 50% faster.’’
Why it matters: Florida law requires local permitting agencies to provide online submittals, payments and permit status. Ruiz said the proposed system would meet those statutory requirements, reduce repetitive staff data entry, and provide an audit trail and embedded GIS zoning checks. He estimated an average time savings of about "6 hours per application," which staff calculated as roughly $72,000 annually in reduced plan‑review labor costs.
Council deliberations focused on cost, staffing and timing. Ruiz said previous attempts to add an online portal had failed and that alternatives (a PDF intake portal or large‑file transfers) would still require substantial staff time to process. He estimated about a seven‑month implementation period if the amendment is approved and said staff hopes to launch the system for public use in early 2027.
Council member Dawn T. Umsen moved to approve the amendment and the budget amendment resolution; the motion was seconded and carried on a voice/roll call vote with all members present voting yes. Mayor Kelly Marks presided.
What the vote does: The council's approval authorizes staff to proceed with the quoted implementation work order from the current vendor and to appropriate the funds for the first year; future years will carry recurring support costs in the operating budget.
Ruiz and other staff said the system also could streamline other city permitting workflows — including business tax receipt and special event permits — and noted potential downstream benefits, such as more timely valuation reporting to the property appraiser via system interfaces.
Next steps: Staff will execute the contract amendment, begin vendor implementation work (30–60 days lead time for vendor resourcing), and return to council with implementation milestones and outreach plans before public launch.
Who said it: Joe Ruiz, Development Services Director; Mayor Kelly Marks; council members voting on the item.
