Longboat building official honored as Plans Examiner of the Year

Patti Fige's work is not normally in the spotlight. It's relegated to rooms filled with large-scale building plans and binders of Longboat Key building codes. 

But in June, it received special attention when Fige, a building official with the town of Longboat Key, was named Plans Examiner of the Year.

Although Fige received the award at the June convention of the Building Officials Association of Florida, which bestowed it, she actually found out she received it in March. 

The co-worker who nominated her received a voicemail in March saying Fige had been chosen for the award. The employee then went to Allen Parsons, director of Planning, Zoning and Building, who called Fige and the rest of his staff into his office. He played the voicemail, which shocked Fige.  

She said it was really nice to be recognized, though she doesn’t particularly care for the public recognition. 

“But I do know that I work real hard every day to try to make things better for people, for customers,” Fige said. “It’s important to think about what their needs are and just care about them.”

Her days start early, usually getting into the office just as the sun is starting to rise. She tries to meet early with inspectors and the rest of the team around 7 a.m., to talk about the day's schedule. The rest of her day is spent responding to the many calls and emails the office receives, dealing with whatever needs to be done. The office opens to the public at 8 a.m., and the inspectors are out around 8:30 a.m. 

Leaving work for the day doesn't always mean putting the job aside, Fige said. 

"I try to get that work-life balance so I can get away and have some recharge time," Fige said. "And then I do some more work in the evenings." 

Parsons said this award is an incredible achievement; he and the department agree Fige is the most deserving person for the award. The organization has over 2,500 members, representing most, if not all, of the counties and cities in the state. That says a lot about Fige to be selected, Parsons said.

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

Fige has spent her entire working career in public service, and identifies as a lifelong learner. She’s been with the town of Longboat Key for about six years, working as a plans examiner until last year. Prior to that, she was with Sarasota County for almost three decades and the Florida Department of Transportation for a few years before that.

She started with FDOT straight out of high school, but then went back to get associate's and bachelor’s degrees. Last year, Fige earned her master’s in construction with accolades in volunteering and academics. Even while working full-time and getting her master's degree, Fige found the time to volunteer at a homeless shelter and for a fundraiser collecting books for a school's summer reading program. 

Weekends, she said were the key to managing such a busy schedule. 

Recently, Fige has been serving as vice president of the Manasota chapter of the Building Officials Association of Florida. In her small amount of free time, she also mentors students at Everglades University who are interested in the construction industry. 

One of the most rewarding parts of the job is receiving feedback saying that the planning, zoning and building team on Longboat is the most professional and easier to work with compared to other municipalities, said Fige.

“It’s a small group, but we all help each other and work as a team,” Fige said. “That’s really rewarding.” 

Fige isn’t done yet. Next year, she could serve as president of the chapter, and wants to continue learning and find more ways to be efficient in her industry.