Michael Disher, Aicp Email & Phone Number

Ponce Inlet, Florida, United States

Ponce Inlet, Florida, United States

Oversaw management of all eight Town departments with assistance of the Public Safety Director pro tem until a permanent Town manager was selected. Highlights of work activities and accomplishments include: • Hurricane Operations and Recovery: Oversaw recovery efforts after Hurricanes Ian and Nicole, including permitting assistance for residents, coordination with state and local agencies, and informing the Town Council and public of resources, grants and other important information; attended daily and weekly city/county manager conference calls with Volusia County EOC staff; attended Elected Officials Roundtable meetings for latest information about County hurricane recovery efforts and resources; prior to landfall of Hurricane Nicole, identified list of beachfront properties without seawalls to inspect afterward for severe coastal erosion; attended Wilbur-by-the-Sea HOA meeting with Mayor and County officials; attended FEMA on-site claims meeting to discuss procedures for reimbursement of storm-related expenses; researched creation of a Stormwater Utility ordinance to fund future system improvements and maintenance; attended Small Business Administration loan information presentation at the Daytona Beach Shores Community Center; provided update of hurricane-related Town staff activities at the October, November, and December Town Council meetings and January Town Hall meeting; authorized emergency expenditures for operations and repairs in accordance with the Town’s adopted purchasing policies.• Grants: Approved Local Mitigation Strategy grant applications and legislative appropriation requests for new generators at the Fire Station, Community Center, and Public Works. Met with the Mayor, Public Safety Director, and local state legislators to discuss appropriation requests, including funding for stormwater drainage backflow preventer valves and design/engineering for a new fire station.

Ponce Inlet, Florida, United States

Lead the Department's 10 professional planning, building/permitting, and code enforcement staff to provide excellent customer service for Town residents, overseeing a $1.3 million budget. Highlights include:• Following Hurricane Ian, drafted and edited messages to the public on social media and website about work that requires a permit, dangers of unlicensed contractors, and department FAQs; prepared two emergency permit fee waiver ordinances for Town Council; developed tracking mechanism for multi-jurisdictional permits for beach-front properties and code enforcement activity.• Secured $123,000 grant from the FDEP's Resilient Florida program for the Watershed Master Plan, a specialized vulnerability assessment to help increase the Town’s rating through the National Flood Insurance Program and lower flood insurance premiums for property owners.• Shepherded the Town’s grant application through the River to Sea TPO funding process to widen the S. Peninsula Drive sidewalk to 8 feet along its entire length through the Town. • Oversaw creation of the new Rental Property Inspection Program; efficiency improvements in code enforcement operations; creation of two new staff positions and the rental permit fees to support them; and updates to code enforcement information on the Town website.• Oversaw creation of food truck ordinance and e-bike ordinance in response to recent amendments to state law.• Coordinated review of condominium inspection requirements with staff from the Planning & Development Department, Fire Department, and the Planning Board in response to the Surfside condo collapse in 2021. • Worked with staff from the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council to prepare a Vulnerability Assessment for the Town, including modeling of critical facilities under future storm surge and sea level rise conditions, creation and distribution of an electronic public survey, and drafting recommended comprehensive plan policy amendments.

Ponce Inlet, Florida

Led professional staff in comprehensive urban planning, transportation planning, development review, environmental protection, and historic preservation. Provided oversight for Planning services and general management assistance to the department. Also served as the lead author, researcher, and presenter for continued improvements to the Ponce Inlet Code of Ordinances, Land Use and Development Code, and Comprehensive Plan.• Overhauled Building and Development regulations in the Code of Ordinances, adopting the 2020 Florida Building Code and local administrative code, and streamlining fee schedule.• Supervised creation of regulations for small wireless facilities (5G) in the public ROW in response to changes in state law under F.S. 337.401, and the creation of fence height waiver procedures in the P-I zoning district.• In response to residents’ concerns, researched and amended regulations regarding parking of boats, RVs, and trailers in single-family residential zoning districts.• Amended LUDC and Comprehensive Plan regarding development in the Coastal High Hazard Area in the B-2 zoning district and Riverfront Commercial future land use designation.• Guided development review of Town-initiated renovation of Timothy Pollard Memorial Park, including applications for site development plan, tree removal and landscaping, partial ROW vacation for S. Peninsula Drive, setback variance for basketball court, and amendment to the Town’s lease agreement with cell tower owner Crown Castle.• Established a new airport zoning overlay district on property underlying the protected airspace of the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, as required by F.S. 333. • Streamlined the Town’s requirements for vacating public easements and rights-of-way to be more consistent with F.S. 177.101 and practices of other Volusia municipalities.

Deland, Florida

I served as principal planner for special projects, including Developments of Regional Impact, airport protection zoning implementation per F.S. 333, comprehensive plan and zoning code text amendments, economic development due diligence, and intergovernmental planning efforts. I also assisted with review and reporting on zoning and comprehensive plan applications, as well as periodic customer service calls. Additionally, I also helped as part of the County's ESF-5 staff at the Emergency Operations Center during the Hurricanes Matthew and Irma in 2016 and 2017.ACCOMPLISHMENT HIGHLIGHTS* Established new airport overlay zoning classification requirements on unincorporated properties underlying the protected airspace of eight public use airports, per F.S. 333 deadlines. Designed internal procedures to review future proposed airport hazard obstruction permits.* Updated, streamlined, and overhauled the Capital Improvements Element of the Comprehensive Plan, the first such update in 25+ years.* Daytona Beach International Airport DRI - worked with airport management staff on minor DRI amendment to update and correct DRI project boundary and legal description. * Served as primary zoning analyst in intergovernmental dispute between Volusia County and Daytona Beach Shores regarding provision of off-beach parking. Analyzed current availability and safety of off-beach parking, along with potential impacts of new city ordinance intended to limit such parking in the future. * Researched state laws and procedures concerning arcade amusement centers (per F.S. 546.10) in response to multiple requests to establish adult arcades/internet cafes throughout unincorporated Volusia County.* Before leaving employment, drafted major update to the Transportation Element in the Comprehensive Plan and zoning code amendments regarding administrative variances, fence height on corner lots, and convenience store parking.

Ponce Inlet, Fl

As Senior Planner, I managed the Planning & Zoning Division and supervised Division staff, serving as technical experts to the Town's Planning Board, Historic Preservation Board, Parks-Rec & Tree Advisory Board, and Town Council. In addition to traditional permitting and customer service roles, I was the lead author, researcher, and presenter of the overhaul to the Town's Land Use and Development Code, along with 22 related special-topic code amendments and resolutions. The purpose of these amendments was to make regulations easier to understand and use of the property owners, staff, elected officials, and the general public; add flexibility to allow multiple methods of achieving the policy intent; reduce permit processing time and required decision-making authority levels; and ease regulatory burdens and expenses, especially for single-family property owners. As Division manager, I also led efforts to streamline development requirements and review procedures to help create a more business-friendly environment. I completed the research, analysis, and policy updates required for the 2016 Evaluation and Appraisal of the Ponce Inlet Comprehensive Plan.Between October 31, 2011 and June 30, 2015, the Planning Division also operated the Ponce Inlet Historical Museum, a restored historic residence dedicated to showcasing the Town's unique history and cultural heritage. During that time, I served as chief staff liaison to the Historic Board in its efforts to establish a functional historic preservation program, and also supervised museum staff.CODE AMENDMENT HIGHLIGHTS* Landscaping and Tree Preservation* Historic Preservation - Certificates of Appropriateness* Submerged TIITF-deeded properties* Waivers* Minor replats* Short-term rentals* Oceanfront setbacks* Building height measurement* Courtyards and screening* Temporary signs* Bed & Breakfast Homestays* Planning & Development Department fee schedule (planning, building, code enforcement)

Port Orange, Fl

RESPONSIBILITIES: Managed the current development, long-range planning, and transportation planning activities of the city. Directly supervised five staff members.ACCOMPLISHMENT HIGHLIGHTS:Directed and authored numerous amendments to the City’s Land Development Code, the last for renewable energy, redevelopment, and neighborhood design.Created Sustainability Strategies for the latest 10-year update to the City’s Comprehensive Plan - see http://bit.ly/ciU4eA. Led Division implementation of 2008-2009 FL growth management legislation. Included creating a city-wide mobility plan to reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions and creating a new mixed-use future land use category.Spearheaded series of workshops with the City Council, Planning Commission, and the public regarding ways to improve the quality of residential development, including open space, recreational amenities, connectivity, and visual appearance.Supervised staff review of a 550,000 square foot outdoor shopping mall, the largest development in the City’s history. Review included transportation impacts and mitigation, zoning approvals, site development requirements, and architectural design.Oversaw creation of the City’s concurrency management system for transportation and proportionate fair-share, in accordance with State planning legislation.Helped national companies adjust their prototypical buildings to meet the City’s architectural requirements while still retaining corporate identity. Examples include Kohls, CVS (three stores), Target, and others.Managed Division staff involvement in a two-year, department-wide review and overhaul of the City’s development review process and customer service improvement effort.Overhauled the City’s variance procedures to increase transparency and improve applicants’ understanding of the process, resulting in savings of time and money for applicants and staff.

Port Orange, Fl

ACCOMPLISHMENT HIGHLIGHTS:Rewrote and updated the Port Orange Comprehensive Plan (Update '98) following state-required periodic review, creating new goals, objectives and policies, completing maps and graphics, and editing and reformatting the entire document. Shepherded the plan through the State review process and arranged for publication and reproduction of the Plan for the public.Created the City’s first true mixed-use future land use and zoning designation, allowing a variety of neo-traditional, standard suburban, civic, commercial, and industrial uses for a 1,200-acre undeveloped property, accompanied by a single, flexible, mixed-use future land category. Presented the concept in 2002 at the Innovation Groups Transforming Local Government Conference in Tucson, AZ.Implemented zoning and future land use changes for over 800 properties following annexation of a 300-acre unincorporated enclave (Harbor Oaks). Involved large- and small-scale future land use amendments, rezonings, creation of a new zoning district, and related amendments to the city’s Land Development Code.

Served as the primary customer service professional for the Planning Division, providing assistance and information to the general public and development professionals regarding zoning, development standards, planning, and permitting issues. Prepared an amendment to the Landscaping chapter of the Port Orange Land Development Code, improving organization and readability.

Wrote and edited the 1997 Cherokee County Comprehensive Plan, including Future Land Use, Economic Development, Housing, and other elements. Drafted the County’s Future Land Use Map, which proposed concentrating higher-intensity development within cities and new “townships.”

Helped prepare the 1995 State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP). Surveyed visitors to all of Georgia’s state parks to obtain data on park visitation patterns. Surveyed recreation departments of cities and counties in the state to determine level-of-service capabilities and needs. Mapped geographic distribution of existing state parks to determine service area coverage and possible location of new parks to fill service gaps.

Masters, City Planning

Specialization in land use planning. Other course interests included Growth Management, GIS, New Urbanism, and Urban Design. As a Research.

Graduate Studies, Urban And Physical Geography

Activities and Societies: UGA Redcoat Marching BandAs a teaching assistant, taught freshman-level lab courses on Weather and Climate.

B.S., Geography

Activities and Societies: Redcoat Marching Band, mellophone; Academic Honors Program, Freshman Year.Major in physical geography.