St. Pete Beach updates hurricane recovery: permits, substantial‑damage reviews, volunteer program and Elevate Florida applications

City staff updated the commission Monday on storm recovery efforts focused on Helena/Milton neighborhoods, permitting, substantial‑damage letters, appeals and state Elevate Florida grant applications.

"We have 2 options as far as pulling a permit, but we do have a preferred approach," said Laura Canary, community development, summarizing guidance for homeowners who may stagger repairs but should notify the city of cumulative work so it counts toward substantial‑damage calculations. Canary described two permit pathways that allow residents to open work incrementally but advised owners to track cumulative work to protect their standing in damage calculations.

Inspection numbers and appeals Canary said the program has completed 2,883 assessments to date and mailed 2,302 letters, with 815 initial determinations of substantial damage and 1,487 non‑substantial determinations. Of submitted appeals, the city had approved 541, had 39 appeals in progress and no denials reported at the time of the presentation. Canary said the city had targeted 60 inspections per day and was averaging 42 per day; staff had recently directed inspectors to begin field re‑inspections themselves where data were missing from outside sources.

Volunteer program and community outreach Canary thanked volunteers who have helped with outreach and inspections and said volunteers were compiling frequently asked questions to publish on the city's website. She said staff plan to compare FEMA funding records with permit records and to contact property owners where grants and permits do not align, which could generate additional inquiries.

Elevate Florida applications and workshops Canary said Elevate Florida had launched its application portal; staff reported roughly 4,600 applications statewide with 1,900 in Pinellas County. The grant categories include structure elevation, mitigation, reconstruction, acquisition, demolition and wind mitigation. County‑region workshops were scheduled and staff encouraged affected owners to apply and attend workshops.

Technical clarifications and resident concerns Staff clarified that elevation and equipment mounting requirements depend on flood zone and grade data and that the city is coordinating with Pinellas County GIS to provide parcel‑level elevation information for residents. Canary also noted that owner‑builder applicants must sign permit applications in person at the permit counter. Staff urged residents to ask for official city badges from inspectors or contractors and to call the city's recovery number when in doubt.

Public comments during the meeting included multiple residents urging faster, more flexible and more accessible permitting. Several residents said permitting hours should be extended and that simple permits (for example fences) were taking multiple weeks. Residents raised concerns about outside contractors and a recent utility pole / small cell work near homes; staff recommended reporting suspicious activity and verifying contractor identification.

Next steps Staff said they will continue inspections, publish FAQs, coordinate with Elevate Florida, and improve public information on equipment elevation requirements. Canary said inspectors were now proactively re‑inspecting to reduce incorrect determinations and appeals.