Bonita honors city's code enforcement department

The Bonita Springs Code Enforcement Department was honored by the City Council this evening for outstanding service to the area.

The move to create a code enforcement department was a daring move for the city a year ago as it signaled the first time the council created a separate department when it could have contracted for the same service more cheaply.

Incorporated under the theory of Government Lite, Bonita Springs is supposed to contract out all its services to private firms and other government entities.

The city did create a separate Parks and Recreation Department before code enforcement, but the council made that move because it was cheaper for the city to do it on its own.

The city code enforcement department was more expensive than contracting with Lee County to perform the same service, but the council said the city-run department would be of a higher quality.