As the Tampa Bay area continues its rebuilding efforts, the permitting process has become a challenging part of the journey for everyone involved—from residents eager to return to their homes to city officials overwhelmed with thousands of applications.

In St. Petersburg, some residents have experienced long wait times for permit approval.

“[Residents are] frustrated with the time it takes to fill out the application, go in, go through everything they need to go through, and sometimes they’re getting denied or sent back. It’s taking a day, three days, or a month. It just doesn’t make sense,” said Kevin Batdorf, president of the Shore Acres Civic Association. “The permitting process in St. Pete should work. It’s designed to work properly, but I think they’re just under-staffed for the sheer volume of a storm like this.”

RELATED: Tampa Bay Hurricane Victims Face Potential, Costly Mandatory Rebuilding

Despite these accounts, local news station FOX 13 spoke with a department head for the City of St. Pete who provided an update on the situation. According to them, 90% of permits submitted so far have been processed within one week.

“As of this week, we have issued almost 3,000 permits and have another almost 1,000 in process,” said Elizabeth Abernathy, St. Pete’s planning and development director. “The majority of the permits are issued the same day or within five days. About 5% of the permits are taking longer than that initial week.”

The primary cause of delays is often missing information, such as descriptions, photos, floor plans, or detailed cost breakdowns.

Abernethy emphasized that her staff is working overtime to meet the demand.

“We’re anticipating about 12,000 permits will be needed due to the extent of the damage in our city, which is basically doubling the volume,” she said. “Staff is working overtime, including Saturdays, to help people rebuild their homes.”

RELATED: Exactly What’s Delaying St. Pete Beach Building Permits?

She also reminded residents why permits cannot simply be waived.

“Our participation in the national flood insurance program and the community rating system that gets us flood discounts is contingent on us adhering to these procedures and the permitting process,” Abernethy explained.

After obtaining permits, residents must also schedule an inspection. The city conducts about 700 inspections daily.

RELATED: St. Pete Takes Steps to Simplify Post-Storm Rebuilding

You can check the status of your permit online at www.stpete.org/rule49 or www.stpete.org/permitting.

Tips to Expedite the Permitting Process

The City of St. Pete offers additional tips to help expedite the permitting and inspections process:

• Provide a complete permit application with a detailed description of the work for each trade.
• Note the flood depth of water within your home.
• Include photos to help document the level and proposed scope of work.
• Provide a floor plan with the areas of work identified.
• Offer a detailed cost breakdown for all proposed work, including insurance adjusters’ estimates or contractors’ bids if available.
• If the damage to your property exceeds 25% of the tax value of the structure, submit a detailed cost estimate and a completed substantial improvement/damage review package.

The more detailed information you can provide, the faster your permit can be reviewed and approved.

Handling Increased Workload

• Inspections: The typical workload is about 500 inspections per day, but this has increased to 700 inspections daily following recent storm events. Inspection and plan review staff are working overtime to keep up with the demand. Final roof inspections are rescheduled for overtime on Saturdays to allow more PDEP inspections during the week.
• Plan Review: Staff is working overtime and on Saturdays to manage the workload for PDEP permits and other new home and commercial permit applications. PDEP flood damage permits are prioritized in the review process.
• Additional Staffing: The city has requested mutual aid from the state FDEM for additional inspection and plan review staff. They’ve also reached out to private companies with licensed inspectors and plan review staff, but availability is limited due to similar requests from other storm-damaged jurisdictions.

By following these guidelines and staying informed, residents can navigate the permitting process more smoothly and help speed up the recovery efforts.

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(Image credit: WFTS Tampa Bay)