St. Pete homeowners still wait for permits; city expected to clear backlog by end of March

Permit delays continue 5 months after hurricanes

FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis reports on St. Petersburg homeowners who still can’t obtain rebuilding permits as backlogs persist nearly five months after Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s been almost six months since homeowners in St. Pete had their lives upended by twin Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Some of their homes still look like they did weeks after the storms as they continue waiting for permits from the city to rebuild.

Paige Wize's gutted St. Petersburg home.

Paige Wize said damaging rainwater from Hurricane Milton flooded her St. Pete home, located off MLK and 62nd Avenue NE.

READ: St. Pete developer touts offer to fix the Trop, buy Gas Plant land ushering the city into a new era

What they're saying:

"It was heartbreaking," Wize said.

The home remains unlivable, and after their first hurricane season, Wize and her husband decided to move to Clearwater.

Damage to Paige Wize's St. Pete home from Hurricane Milton.

She is one of around 1,400 homeowners still waiting for a permit, and questions the city’s urgency in response to the disaster.

"I thought I would be battling insurance companies. I thought I was going to have to battle my flood claim. I did not expect it to be the permits from the city that held everything up, and is still holding everything up. My contractor has been ready to start repairs since Jan. 1," said Wize.

Dig deeper:

Every day without a permit adds to her time paying two mortgages.

READ: Tampa residents can save big on solar with new group purchasing program

On Wednesday, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch posted an update, saying the city had issued 8,014 post-disaster emergency permits. However, 1,447 permits remain in progress.

Mayor Welch's statement

"Single-family residential emergency permits will be cleared by the end of the month, and future single-family applications will see a one-week turnaround. Now we’re prioritizing multi-family and commercial emergency permits, diligently working through the high volume of requests."

Big picture view:

Wize imagines what it will feel like to finally get the permit.

"A relief, but still just another step in the road, right? Because after that, we've got to fix it," said Wize.