Community Advocate

Responsibilities

  • Investigates citizens’ complaints
  • The Community Advocate may make recommendations to correct problems, to improve efficiency and foster good relations between citizens and public employees.
  • The Community Advocate will assist walk-in citizens with problems and refer them to the appropriate sources.
  • The Community Advocate will also educate local groups, clubs/organizations and citizens on how to get results from the City.
  • Provides callers with information and referrals.

Filing a Complaint

If you have a complaint and don’t know where to start you can start by taking your complaint to the department involved. Often departmental staff will be able to resolve your issue quickly.

If you do not know which department to contact or who to take your problem to, contact the Community Advocate for a referral to appropriate person who can assist.

Before

Steps to take prior to contacting the appropriate person:

  1. Be prepared
  2. Know what questions you are going to ask (it helps to write them down)
  3. Have any available information at hand before you contact the department

After

After contacting the appropriate person:

  1. Be pleasant: Treat employees as you like to be treated. Getting angry or rude will not resolve your problem. Public employees, like most of us, respond favorable to a positive and courteous approach. Remember, public employees are citizens just like you. As citizens they must follow the same laws and regulations as you do.
  2. Keep records: take notes and ask for names and titles of employees you speak with. Save your correspondence.
  3. Inform the department representative of your concern and what you think the resolution should be. Some complaints may be a simple misunderstanding of government procedures or individual rights and most complaints can be resolved by a fact-finding effort with the department involved.

Helpful Resources

If you are still not satisfied email your Community Advocate or contact by phone at 321-567-3689.

Pursuant to Florida Statutes, all correspondence with the City is an open public record.