County chooses Garrod

After months of searching, the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors has named consultant Ted Garrod of Kissimmee, Fla., as county planning director. The Commercial Appeal reports Garrod recently retired after 27 years working for Osceola County in central Florida.

County administrator Michael Garriga cited Garrod’s “wealth of knowledge” as a major reason he was chosen out of 41 applicants. Garrod will oversee day-to-day tasks such as building permits and the Environmental Services unit, which deals with sanitation, recycling, code enforcement and stormwater issues. He will meet regularly with the Planning Commission and take zoning and conditional-use appeals before the supervisors.

Garrod will also take on long-term projects, such as the pivotal Interstate 69/269 International Trade Corridor study and area transit proposals.