ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The signs of recovery are everywhere in St. Petersburg after last year’s hurricanes, but for some residents, they aren’t even close to being back to normal. They’re still waiting for permits to start rebuilding their lives.
The permitting backlog is an issue FOX 13 has been following for months, and many homeowners are still desperate for answers. The city has offered different timelines at points.
READ: Hurricane Helene recovery in St. Pete continues one year later
What they’re saying:
At Thursday’s St. Pete City Council meeting, frustrated homeowners once again pleaded for help.
“We really need help with the permitting process for our home,” said Eilleen Carry.
Carry said a tree fell on her house during Hurricane Milton, and she’s been stuck waiting 21 weeks for the city to issue a permit, so repairs can move forward.
MORE: St. Petersburg City Council approves Shore Acres floodgate study
“I’m getting really frustrated. We want our house to get back to normal. We’ve been patiently waiting,” said Carry.
What we don’t know:
It’s still unclear just how many homeowners are in the same situation. FOX 13 has repeatedly asked city officials for the exact number of outstanding permits — but has not received an answer.
Back in March, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said the post-disaster permitting backlog would be cleared by the end of that month. When homeowners told FOX 13 in August that they were still waiting, the station reached out to the city multiple times with no response.
Dig deeper:
On Friday, during a press conference marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, Welch addressed the issue publicly.
READ: St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch reflects on Hurricane Helene one year later
“We anticipate that we’ll be back to normal ‘blue sky’ review times by the end of this month,” he said.
Welch highlighted the progress the city has made, pointing to 14,500 permits issued since the storms.
“We’ve augmented staff, we’ve done everything we could possibly do. As you know, those examiners and inspectors were in wide demand across the southeast. So yeah, our team has done a lot to try to meet really an unprecedented need in permitting,” said Welch.
What’s next:
While the mayor celebrated the progress, he did not specify how many permits are still pending.
The Source: Sources for this report include a city council meeting, comments made by the St. Pete mayor, a press conference with the mayor, and previous reports by FOX 13.