The City of DeFuniak Springs Vs. Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA)
The City Council for DeFuniak Springs met this week with several items on the agenda that brought noted tension between the city’s elected leaders – first and foremost, some of the city’s leaders made a failed attempt to eliminate the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).
Toward the end of the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Amy Heavilin, made the ill-fated motion to eliminate the CRA. The motion was seconded by Councilman Danny Cosson (Seat 5). However, the motion was unsuccessful because the City Council recently passed funding for the 2026 fiscal year.
The City Council appears very divided on its support and understanding of how the CRA functions, which led to the controversy that dominated the meeting.
Councilman Glen Harrison (Seat 4), at a point of impasse, spoke to the Council and suggested that the problem between the City Council and the CRA is the lack of communication and the need to have more meetings so that both sides will be “on the same page.”
According to the City of DeFuniak Springs’ website, the Community Redevelopment Agency was created to, “initiate the revitalization of blighted areas inside the city limits.” Florida State Statute concerning CRAs says something similar.
During the City Council meeting, two agenda items were presented regarding proposed agreements, known as “Memorandums of Understanding,” where the CRA would assist the residents of DeFuniak Springs with property abatements and lien reduction.
The City Council discussed the strategic role that the CRA could play in mitigating the effects of “blight” in the city. Councilman Josh Sconiers (Seat 2) emphasized that not only would the CRA’s oversight of the remediation of blight resolve issues for the individual property owner, but it would also bring a source of financial protection for nearby property owners and their home values.
Mayor Pro Tem Amy Heavilin voiced her opposition to the proposed role for CRA by saying, “I’m not a fan of giving away our responsibility to the other agencies. So, my vote will reflect such.”
Councilman Todd Bierbaum (Seat 1) responded, “This is not giving away our responsibilities. This is actually working together with the CRA to address identified problems [intimating problems that have been reported by Code Enforcement.]…We have properties within the city that are in violation of our codes, and they sit there and continue to rack up hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fines…There’s millions of dollars of fines [total] sitting out there. So what was proposed and what has been worked out…is to address these code violations before they reach six-figure sums.”
Bierbaum contended that this is where the CRA will have the ability to step in, address code violations, propose solutions, and ultimately achieve favorable results for the community. The ability he perceives for the CRA to fix problems comes from the CRA’s perceived capacity to take action where the City’s hands are tied. Bierbaum added, “This is a way to keep the city from becoming ‘derelict looking’ [sic] while taking our CRA dollars, which are specifically [referring to the CRA role and purpose] when it [CRA] was formed – [they] are there to address blight…before it gets out of hand.”
City Attorney, Clay Adkinson, appeared to fortify Bierbaum’s argument by pointing out the city could not use public funds to allieve derelict private properties – something the CRA can do. “To be clear, the City cannot lawfully appropriate funds for the use on private properties, even if we do deem them to be blight or abatement,” Adkinson explained, “We can only authorize abatement, but somebody has to fund it, whether it be a property owner, a non-profit, or some other organization.”
Adkinson discussed the role and responsibilities allotted to the CRA, including their financial assistance and ability to engage directly in contracts and local abatement. He claimed that the CRA, serving in an abatement role, provides communication and all documentation related to the completed abatement projects. They will also ensure compliance with statutes and code ordinances.
Heavilin stressed that City Code Enforcement should be responsible for doing the work and overseeing the abatement process. To which the City Attorney indicated that Mr. Christopher Strawn will continue to serve in his same capacity. Nothing will change. Code Enforcement will continue to identify violations, attend and represent the City at court hearings, monitor abatement, and assist in cost recovery. CRA will not serve in that capacity. CRA is designed and directed to support remediation efforts.
Heavilin was the only “No” vote for the formal Abatement Agreement with the CRA. The motion passed.
Rob Hamilton, CRA Board Member, came prepared with his remarks during Citizen Comments. He shared that the work, purpose, and funding of the CRA have been “voted on multiple times, and the outcome was not unclear.” He inquired as to whether or not all city leaders understood the purpose and mission of the CRA.
Hamilton shared that a decision has been made regarding the CRA [its purpose and direction and funding] and “that decision needs to stand. Yet here we are ‘circling back’ to the same conversation under a “new headline – the future of the CRA.” He continued, “Let’s be honest, this is not about the future. It is about trying to undo a vote that didn’t go someone’s way. That is not leadership. That’s obstruction. At some point, we have to ask, how many votes do we [referring to Council Members Heavilin and Cosson] have to lose before we move on? Because dragging this out does not make you look strong or principled. It makes you look weak and unwilling to lead when the outcome doesn’t suit you.”
Heavilin believes that Code Compliance (with only one employee) can do the work of the CRA. She intimated that the work can be done in-house. Hamilton stated that the City Council remaining on the same trajectory “makes the city look divided and distracted…the City sees it, the business owners see it, and frankly, the CRA Board feels it.” He added that the CRA is being used as “a political punching bag.”
Following Public Comment, Ms. Heavilin’s motion to abolish the CRA was defeated 3 to 2. Heavilin and Cossan voted in favor.
Following the City Council meeting, Mid Bay News learned that Josh Ervin, the Executive Director for the CRA, has resigned and will return to Walton County to fill the role of Director of Beach Operations. Ervin served with the County and the former Beach Operations director, Brian Kellenberger, for 10 years. Kellenberger has recently been named the County Administrator, which leaves a “big void” in a critical role for the county. Ervin expressed appreciation and a sense of accomplishment for the work that has been done over the past three years with the continued formation of the CRA. He added, “There has been a great deal accomplished in these formative years. I appreciate the hard work and dedication of the CRA Board and their continued support for the work we have done and continue to do.”
Mid Bay News met with Rob Hamilton and Josh Ervin following the City Council meeting to learn more about current projects underway and the CRA’s role with abatement and lien reduction in the city. Both gentlemen expressed determination about the work of the CRA and the importance of tackling the major capital improvement projects. The two major projects named were the downtown alleyway and the proposed amphitheatre. Both expressed the importance of moving forward, to make the City of DeFuniak Springs the pride of Walton County.
Hamilton ended the interview with Mid Bay News by saying, “In your article, please encourage people to come and participate with CRA, through meetings and workshops that we hold to keep our leaders and the citizens informed.” He added, “Encourage them [the people] not to just read Facebook posts. But instead, get involved. If we want to see change, everyone has to get involved.”
Although it is not directly related to the topic of the CRA, Koby Townsend, City Manager, gave an update on the continued vacancy in the Financial Director position. Townsend was asked about the number of applicants seeking the director position. He indicated that Julie Chance, Human Resources Director, has used many methods, including the local newspaper, Indeed, Government Finance Officers’ Association (GFOA), Florida City & County Management Association (FCCMA), Employ Florida, and reached out to surrounding cities and counties to seek potential candidates. All these resources have not yet provided a new hire for the position. The Mayor Pro Tem said that the position has been vacant for over a year, and with new audits ahead, this position needs to be filled. She added that she has requested updates from the City Manager every two weeks.
At the close of the meeting, the Mayor, Bob Campbell, said, “We have kind of turned our meeting space into mudslinging and all this type of stuff…and then we want to keep directors. We want EDA [Economic Development Alliance] directors. We want CRA directors. We want City Managers . We want City Finance Directors. That’s [mudslinging] the worst thing we can do to try to bring them [new hires] in. And, you know, sometimes it is much harder to do this more diplomatic [sic]…your ‘laundry’ doesn’t have to be exposed out in the public meetings every time we get together because it just doesn’t make good sense…Well, I want to be transparent…The scripture says that ‘a fool uttereth all his mind’, [Proverbs 29:11 KJV,] and so it’s not always the smartest thing in the world to share every thought you have. Because you have to think of…the repercussions. So, I’m just telling everybody on this dias, and if I could speak to the county, I’d say the same thing – calm down. Just calm down.”
Citizen and local realtor, Kim Wennerberg, inquired about the salary range for the Finance Director position. She mentioned that a range that is not competitive in the industry today might be a contributing reason that the position remains unfilled. Mid Bay News looked at the job posting, and the city website has the salary range between 80K and 109K. The City Manager indicated that he believes the proposed salary range is competitive (and at the high end) in the industry.
Danny Cosson (Seat 5) spoke about the amount of work that has been done to create the job description for the Finance Director position. He added, “It’s time that we move forward and we present ourselves in a way that would make somebody want to come work here.”
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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