St. Petersburg’s booming development has resulted in a backlog of construction permits, further aggravated by an unprecedented hurricane season.

Although officials believe a new platform will help address the issue, persistent staffing challenges remain a significant concern. A 2024 independent study echoed local developers’ sentiments: the understaffed permitting department needs more personnel.

Elizabeth “Liz” Abernethy, the planning and development services director, updated city council members on her department’s progress during a Thursday committee meeting. She highlighted that “recruiting and filling positions has always been a challenge, and it remains so, especially after the storm season.”

“We had six private provider companies on contract before the storms, but none were able to provide additional support staff afterward,” Abernethy said. “We found a new provider in early February, and their six additional plans examiners will begin training next week.”

Building official Don Tyre stated that St. Petersburg now offers “very competitive” salaries for permitting and planning positions and covers additional license costs, as noted in Matrix Consulting Group’s evaluation.

Tyre explained that the demand for qualified personnel in the planning industry surpasses the supply. Many city employees now hold senior roles after decades of service.

Tyre anticipates a “huge transition” for the “already somewhat understaffed” department as employees retire over the next few years. The construction services team comprises about 90 people, with 12 positions currently vacant.

“It’s tough right now because we’re competing not only with other jurisdictions but also with private provider companies and the private sector,” Tyre explained. “Everyone’s after the same group of qualified people.

“At present, we’re receiving more plans than we’re reviewing daily for post-disaster emergency permits.”

Tyre plans to assign five new contractors to residential permits and one to commercial applications, aiming to alleviate the storm-related backlog.

Matrix recommended 36 actions, ranging from establishing a management training program (ongoing) to monitoring workload fluctuations. Nine initiatives are “on hold for post-storm recovery,” including the latter. Administrators have completed three actions, with most in progress.

The evaluation found that the department has quality data management solutions and commended staff for their work ethic and customer service. However, Matrix noted that training “is limited,” and many managers and supervisors lack the ideal degrees and certifications for their leadership positions.

The firm recommended hiring 20 full-time inspectors and four chief inspectors. The city has filled the latter positions, while hiring for the former is ongoing.

Administrators reassessed operations, dividing the three divisions Abernethy leads into two separate departments. “I think we’re up to about 120 people,” she said. “So, that is kind of a lot for one department director to manage.”

Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz acknowledged Abernethy’s excellence despite the challenges. The American Planning Association of Florida named Abernethy its Outstanding Local Public Official of the Year in September 2024.

At a February 20 meeting, Carlos Yepes, founder of Belleair Development Group, praised Abernethy as an “amazing leader” who needs more employees. He criticized St. Petersburg’s permitting system as “broken,” noting it can take several months to complete the convoluted process.

The issue is not new. Abernethy addressed it in December 2023 at a St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership meeting.

She informed development stakeholders that a technologically advanced new system would replace outdated software, helping mitigate the growing permit processing lag. Attendees applauded Abernethy for acknowledging the issue and working collaboratively on solutions.

City Administrator Rob Gerdes stated Thursday that the evaluation study was beneficial for a “very forward-facing” department. He noted Abernethy’s team issues about 30,000 permits annually, and “you’re going to have discrepancies.”

“I just want to thank you for giving us the opportunity to show that, overall, Liz (Abernethy) and her team are doing really good work,” Gerdes told the committee. “We can always improve, but I think it was a very positive report.”

The new permitting platform, dubbed Tyler, will launch this year. Abernethy said it would address many of the evaluation’s recommendations.

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