The City of Vero Beach may soon decide to reverse a 42-year policy of letting Indian River County handle building permits and inspections in the city limits, a change that would require a year’s written notice and carry unknown costs.

The reason: recurring complaints – many of which have been heard for years – that having to deal with county offices in addition to those at City Hall makes development and renovation unnecessarily difficult in Vero.

“The situation with the inspections and the building department is not getting better,” Vero Mayor John Cotugno told his colleagues on the City Council two weeks ago. “Things are getting worse. Businesses have opted not to come to our downtown because of the issues they’re having, they’re trying to get approval for their permits, never-mind the inspection processes.

“I really think we need to elevate our discussion during budget workshops about the timing needed to have our own department and what we need to do to get that done.”

The way renovation or development within the city limits currently works, property owners and their contractors, engineers and architects begin the process by seeking site plan and zoning review at the Vero Beach Planning Department at City Hall.

The city staff then sends customers to the Indian River County building department to apply for permits and arrange for various inspections, including fire inspections.

It’s been that way since Vero and the county signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in June 1983.

According to Vero Planning Director Jason Jeffries, who said the topic was discussed at least five times in 2024, concerns center around customers dealing with two different local government agencies.

Complaints include difficulty reaching county building staff to get questions answered; “unreasonable” requirements for proposed developments; and problems using the county’s electronic permitting system.

County officials said numerous staff-level meetings have been held with their Vero counterparts to tackle the city’s biggest concerns, and Jeffries agreed that some progress has been made.

A major source of complaints has been MyGovernmentOnline or MGO, the county’s automated system which requires contractors to upload digital documents and file permit applications online.

On the positive side, MGO provides real-time monitoring of permit status and online scheduling of inspections.  The user can see what has been done and when, what is pending and what items need attention.

But many small-job contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners long for a return to the days when you could hand paperwork over a counter to a live person.  MGO requires downloading a computer app and getting accustomed to using new technology. As with any innovation, some users find it convenient, but many find it confusing or frustrating to navigate.

Other trouble areas also remain, Jeffries said.

“The complaints are still prevalent regarding the Fire Marshal reviews and other IRC departments regarding perceived unreasonable requirements for new development through the site plan review process. I still hear occasional complaints regarding the inability to reach County staff or receive timely answers,” Jeffries said.

Though Vero is essentially built-out in terms of brand-new construction, there’s plenty of renovation and expansion going on, not only in Central Beach residential neighborhoods, but at Riverside Theatre and the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Plus there’s the looming Three Corners planned hotel, dining and entertainment complex, and efforts to revitalize the downtown business corridor and enhance the mixed-use art village on the mainland.

What’s still somewhat unclear is whether a problem exists that warrants the up-ending of a 42-year-old arrangement. Is the county building department stifling Vero’s small businesses, or have a handful of influential squeaky wheels bent the mayor’s ear?

The cost of expanding Vero’s tiny planning department to handle the extra workload is unknown. Better or in-person customer service at City Hall would come at a cost, which established contractors, developers and taxpayers may – or may not – be happy to pay.

County Administrator John Titkanich said last week upon hearing Vero is getting serious about re-taking the permitting and inspection role, “I’m disappointed to hear this.”

Titkanich said county staff has listened, responded to the city’s concerns, and implemented performance monitoring of permits, which it reviews monthly. “During Quarter 1, 2025, the county reviewed more than 1,500 permits and 94.42 percent of permit reviews occurred within seven business days or less,” he said.

“We’ve implemented several process improvements, created and hired an Ombudsman, and since August 2024, the county and the city have been holding monthly meetings to review and discuss any concerns the city may have related to building and permitting, of which I am not aware of any current issues presently,” he said

“Additionally, this year we reorganized certain functions, such as building and permitting and fire-life safety review, and they report to the newly created Building and Facility Services Department.

“We certainly respect and value the City of Vero Beach,” Titkanich said.  “If they believe they can provide a higher-level service in a more cost-effective manner, then the county will respect their decision.”