St. Pete Beach staff outline permit backlog, substantial-damage process and help options after storms

Denise Anderson, interim director of Community Development for the City of St. Pete Beach, told residents at a Feb. 4 town hall that the department has received about 2,500 permit applications and issued more than 1,600 permits as it works through post-storm recovery.

Anderson said the city is tracking inspections and working to reduce review times while complying with FEMA requirements. She urged property owners and contractors to keep thorough records for SISD (substantial or non-substantial damage) reviews and any future audits: "Keep good records. However you arrived at that number that ultimately went on your SISD or permit application, just make sure you're holding those documents in a file," she said.

Why it matters: Substantial-damage determinations can force elevation or demolition under federal flood rules. The city emphasized both speed and FEMA compliance — balancing residents' desire to return homes quickly with the need to preserve the community’s floodplain compliance and insurance benefits.

City capacity and timelines City staff said permit-review times have improved from pre-storm backlogs. Before the hurricane the department sometimes took about 90 days from submission to final permit; staff now report being roughly a week behind on getting permits into the review queue, while review-cycle times are typically under a week once an application is in review. The department has 11 plans examiners onboard and is adding inspectors and contract staff. Anderson said volunteers trained to assist owner-builders have helped reduce intake delays.

On staffing, Anderson said: "We have asked for an additional 10 personnel to come in. I'm hopeful that they'll be here next Monday." The city also requested state assistance via a mission request when local volunteers could not meet demand.

SISD determinations, appeals and resetting calculations Staff described the SISD process and recent policy adjustments. The City Commission removed a one-year look-back calculation on Dec. 23 after FEMA provided an interpretation staff had not previously used, and staff said that change eliminates certain prior exclusions. That means homeowners who close a repair permit may later open an improvement permit and have the damage/improvement calculation reset for the new permit.

Staff explained appeal options: homeowners can challenge either the damage estimate or the structure value. An independent licensed appraisal is commonly used to raise the structure valuation or a detailed SISD package (photos, contracts, receipts) can be submitted to dispute the damage estimate. Anderson encouraged anyone with questions to use the new volunteer assistance: volunteers will help prepare SISD packages and paperwork.

Temporary repairs and sequencing Staff said temporary repairs to secure properties (for example, windows or roofs) generally can be permitted separately, but cautioned about unintentionally exceeding the 50% threshold: "The last thing I want to do is ... put spend $20,000 on your windows or your roof. Then, oh, well, actually, you're over 50%. Now you got to demolish it," Anderson said. Staff said they will work with homeowners who sign affidavits accepting the risk associated with doing temporary work before full evaluation.

Owner-builder rules and limits Staff reiterated owner-builder permit limitations required by Florida law, including the state restriction that allows owners to act as their own contractor but bars sale or lease of the property for 12 months after the owner-builder permit is closed. Anderson and other staff urged owners to consider the trade-offs and noted processes to substitute a general contractor later if needed.

Fees, waivers and resources City staff said the city is waiving plan-examination and permit fees for repairs and demolition; new construction permits remain fee-based because of their required review. The waiver and free-permit program has provided more than $2,000,000 in waived fees and is scheduled through April 22, staff said.

Labor rates, sources and technical standards Staff said the city used Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) May 2023 data for the Tampa–St. Pete market as the benchmark for labor rates and published those labor numbers for use in SISD and permit justification.

Code requirements and inspections Lucretius ("Luke"), the city building official, clarified code triggers: smoke detectors and pool-alarm requirements follow the Florida Building Code and apply when a permit is pulled for work that triggers those life-safety updates. As Luke stated: "Florida statute, Florida building code, no matter what work is being done, requires smoke detectors to be installed as per the building code no matter what you're doing." He also confirmed that projects beyond one- and two-family residences (for example, condo buildings or commercial projects) require fire-marshals reviews.

Portal, communications and how to respond to reviewer comments Staff described recent improvements to the phone and portal systems and recommended checking the permit portal first for reviewer comments. Plans examiners post comments in the portal and applicants (contractors or the listed applicant) must respond via that system. If contractors need a call, staff advised sending a portal note requesting a callback from the reviewer so questions are routed to the person responsible for the review.

Appraisals, BVR and free re-evaluations The county property appraiser's BVR (brief value review) process is free and often useful; independent licensed appraisals typically cost several hundred dollars and may arrive in about two weeks. Staff said these valuation tools and SISD packages are the principal ways to reduce a high percentage in an appeal.

Volunteer program and assistance To help owner-builders and residents complete SISD packages and permit submittals, the city created a volunteer program that has trained dozens of volunteers (staff stated roughly 36–38 trained volunteers). Volunteers staff intake hours, assist with paperwork and can meet residents in the field to help older or vulnerable residents get through the process.

How to appeal and next steps Staff advised anyone who received a substantial-damage letter and disagrees to file an appeal (sdappeal@saintpb.org was provided as a contact) and to include photos, videos and receipts where possible. Staff said appeals may lead to reinspection or an adjusted calculation; administrative appeals are the first step before any public hearing or board-of-adjustment process.

Ending note City officials closed the session by reminding residents of upcoming district town halls and reiterating the department's dual goals of helping residents return safely while complying with FEMA and state floodplain requirements.