Manatee’s C.J. Dupre’ Named Building Official of the Year

MANATEE COUNTY -– Manatee County Commissioners recognized Manatee Building Official C.J. Dupre’ on Tuesday, who was recently named Building Official of the year by the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Building Officials Association of Florida.

The chapter selected Dupre’ for the honor last month in Naples at the 2011 Building Officials Association of Florida Annual Conference & Trade Expo.
Chapter President Bob Mahar, said Dupre’ regularly participates in meetings and often volunteers his time to the organization to prepare for annual conferences.

C,J. Dupre' Manatee County Government Photo

“We believe C.J. is a shining example of what a professional Building Official should strive to be,” Mahar wrote in an e-mail to Manatee County. “He is caring, helpful and you should be proud of the Building Official that represents Manatee County.”
 
Manatee County Building and Development Services Director John Barnott was proud of Dupre’ and said he personifies Manatee’s commitment to top-notch customer service.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time someone from Manatee County has been selected,” Barnott said. “C.J.'s efforts go unnoticed by a lot of people, but the industry knows we have the best Building Official in the world. I am very proud of this achievement. He’s committed to the health, safety and welfare of all our customers in Manatee County and he does an outstanding job at it. ”

Dupre’ was hired by the County in 2001 and has served as Building Official since 2008. He regularly attends meetings of the Manatee County Homebuilders Association and has worked with Sarasota County to bring consistency and predictability to building departments in both counties. He said it is a great honor to be recognized by his peers for the award and said "I'd like to thank the ones I get to work with every day, the inspectors, those who stand behind me and work under my license that make me look good at what I do." 

Dupre said his family was not able to make it but his extended family, those he works with, were there.  Commissioner Carol Whitmore then asked for them to stand-up and applaud Mr. Dupre for his accomplishment. Half of the 60 or so in the room rose to congragulate their collegue.  

“Manatee County has worked hard to earn recognition throughout the industry as a leader in customer service,” Dupre’ said. “I try to emphasize to our employees that you don’t have to be a difficult person to do your job. We have a code to enforce and you can accomplish your goal in a respectful way by treating people the way you’d like to be treated.”

The chapter includes Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties. It meets throughout the year to discuss Florida Building code issues, and how local governments meet the challenges that arise within the field.