Officially retire

Hernando County Building Department Director, Grant Tolbert will officially retire from his position this Friday. Love him or hate him, Mr. Tolbert lead our county through two of the largest building booms in our history. He also took the brunt of much criticism in the wake of the destruction caused by the No Name Storm in 1993.

Grant Tolbert took his department into the 21st Century with his pro-active approach to compliance to building codes. Mr. Tolbert was instrumental in enacting tough building standards for Hernando County by adopting the Florida Building Code and the National Electrical Code for Hernando County. Although Grant has been criticized for his enforcement of the rules by some individuals and contractors, he should be commended on his steadfast requirements for compliance with building regulations that have made Hernando County a safer place.

Hernando County has entered into a contract with a private firm to provide a licensed building official which is required by Florida Statutes. This short term contract is to provide 20 hours per week for oversight by the building official. Hopefully, Mr. Hamilton will inform the public soon about the future hierarchy at the building department. Questions are beginning to surface about who will actually be in charge of the building department and if 20 hours of building official oversight conforms to Florida Statutes.

Good luck and enjoy your retirement Grant!