County planners and vendor detail software gaps and plan consolidation for faster reviews

Walton County staff and SwiftGV representatives used the workshop to describe problems with multiple permit-record systems and a path toward consolidation that officials say is essential to speed automated reviews.

Don, the county's building plans review manager, described the current workflow: applicants submit plans through Intergov, the planning team checks completeness, assigns specialist reviewers (floodplain, wetlands, environmental), and uses third-party stormwater review for larger plans. Don said staff migrated open projects to Intergov but older historical records remain dispersed across past systems.

SwiftGV's managing partner Sabrina Dugan said the vendor brings automated plan-review tools that "run through their AI review" to flag missing items for staff and speed turnaround. John Mkin, SwiftGV legal counsel and co-founder, emphasized that consolidating data is the foundation for effective automation: "Having the data organized is the foundation of that. The platform part actually is pretty easy. It's having the data organized is really the foundation of that."

Staff and vendors acknowledged prior failed migrations and said consolidation requires board support, funding and careful data work. Kelly Schultz said staff will continue to coordinate with Intergov and Tyler representatives; an Intergov representative is scheduled to work on-site with county staff to address specific integration issues.

Attendees described practical impacts: during a Q&A a SwiftGV representative said one project suffered a 132-day review delay that he said cost $16.9 million, using that example to argue the county needs faster, standardized reviews. County staff said they are targeting much faster initial review times (one to three days in some areas) as hiring and process changes proceed.