If you’ve built or renovated a structure in Jacksonville in the past 16 years, chances are Jim Schock looked over the plans.
Schock joined the City in 1996 as a professional engineer after decades in industry following his graduation from Drexel University in Philadelphia with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
He was born outside Philadelphia and worked with engineering companies “all over” before ending up in Florida. “I decided I didn’t want to go back North,” he said.
He became the City’s building inspections manager in 1998 and was appointed by Mayor Alvin Brown as acting chief of building inspection last fall. His appointment as chief is pending at City Council. Building inspection is housed in the Planning and Development Department.
Schock has seen changes in the industry and the economy during his career.
For example, the building code was contained in one small book in 1975. The code now is nine volumes in three-ring binders.
“It’s a safer building environment,” he said. “Code changes come about because something happens.”
Schock said he became certified as an inspector and plans examiner in all of the areas he supervises.
Schock also serves on the Florida Building Commission and was recently reappointed by Gov. Rick Scott. He also is the structural specialist on Florida Task Force 5 Urban Search and Rescue, formed by the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department in October 2001.
The teams are required to be self-sustained and capable of 12-24 hour operations for 72 hours without the need for outside resources, according to the City website. They are required to be able to deploy within six hours of a call for assistance, such as for hurricane search and rescue operations.
The housing collapse and building downturn of the years since the recession began in 2007 are evident in the size of his staff. Schock said staff has been reduced 40 percent, from 135 employees to 84. He said his budget is not part of the City general fund. Instead, it is funded by permit fees, which are approved by Council legislation.
Schock said construction appears to be picking up, or at least not dropping. He said townhouses, apartments and to some degree single-family developments are picking up.
On the commercial side, he said the office is seeing tenant build-out and hospital-medical projects.
Office hours are 7 a.m.-4 p.m., although he said he’s on remote access outside those hours. Schock arrives about 6 a.m. and leaves soon after the office closes.
He’s up at 3 a.m. to walk 3 miles a day and he walks another 2 at night, for 5 miles a day.
As a result, there are more changes than just code and management responsibilities in his life. Schock has lost 100 pounds over the past two years.
He changed his eating habits, too, as a result of his doctor saying it was either that or more medication for diabetes, which he said is now gone.
For fun, Schock works, saying he enjoys his job, and he also enjoys spending time with his family.
“Just normal everyday stuff,” he said.
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