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In hurricanes' wake, everyone has to wait

Across the state, those who need new roofs - or new homes - and those who build them face long waits.

By BRADY DENNIS
Published March 8, 2005

PORT CHARLOTTE - It's just past dawn at the Charlotte County administrative complex off U.S. 41. The usual pickup trucks are in the parking lot, their mufflers huffing in the chilly air, the drivers sitting inside, waiting, waiting, always waiting.

Not long after 7 a.m., the daily line starts to form in front of the county's building department. Half an hour later, an employee unlocks the door and smiles. She knows most of the men by name.

"Okay, J.R., what you got? Only two?" she asks J.R. Miller, who works for a local company, Robin Builders Inc.

"I got lots more to get," the gray-haired man says as he slides the day's paperwork across the counter.

Six months after Hurricane Charley battered this county, those reconstructing after the mess gather each morning to stand in line and wait, sometimes for hours at a time.

Month after month, building officials continue to issue three and four times the number of permits that they did during the same period a year earlier. Not surprisingly, the vast majority have been for roof repairs.

"It's just been horrid," said Jim Evetts, Charlotte County's chief building official. "We've hired all we can. Everyone is working at 120 percent. (But) the customers are at 140 percent."

It might come as little comfort to permit seekers in Charlotte County, but they are not alone.

Lines continue to stretch at building departments around the state, adding another dose of frustration as recovery from the hurricanes drags on into the new year.

* * *

East coast, west coast, Panhandle. Everywhere, the drill's the same: Get there early.

"You've got to get here by 7 o'clock in the morning," said Sean Lacy, who's been working in Charlotte County for ASAP Restoration, a North Carolina-based company.

The later people come, he said, the longer the wait grows. Oftentimes, those who show up after 2 p.m. are turned away.

The daily ritual has grated on the nerves of some people who depend on building permits to make a living.

"When I have to be here at 6:45 a.m.," said Chuck Selman, who works for Suburban Propane, "I've wasted an hour or half-hour of my day before I even get started."

It's the same story in Florida's Panhandle, where wait times in Escambia County reached six hours in the wake of the storms. Similar lines plagued Florida's east coast, where hurricanes Frances and Jeanne battered numerous counties, namely St. Lucie, Martin and Indian River.

"I just spent four hours myself in St. Lucie County the other day. I could be doing a lot of other things with my four hours," said Vern Toulson, owner of a small construction company in Vero Beach and former president of the Treasure Coast Builders Association. He has also seen people turned away after the wait simply became too long.

"I'm sure everyone is sitting there grinding their teeth," Toulson said. "But everybody has been pretty cordial. We've all had to learn patience all over again."

The waiting doesn't end at the front of the line. Even after getting a permit and finishing the work, another delay can come when it's time to get the repair work inspected.

Adding to the burden is the fact that new construction has pressed forward, consuming even more time from county building employees. But even that process has faced heavy delays.

Thinking of building a new home in a hurricane-ravaged county? Good luck.

These days, thanks to the sluggish permitting process - not to mention a shortage of construction workers and building supplies - it could take as long as two years to finish.

"I'm ashamed to tell you," Toulson said, "that's probably correct."

* * *

Despite the gripes and frustration, most of those who have grown accustomed to waiting in the permit lines don't fault the county building departments.

"Honestly, I think they're doing the best they can," said Selman of Suburban Propane. "It's a snowball effect. Once they got behind, they never caught up. We're behind, too. We're all in the same boat. Everybody wants it done yesterday."

Building officials have tried.

Almost every department added staff to help handle the influx of requests. Office hours have been extended. Overtime has become the norm rather than the exception, with some inspectors regularly working 60- to 80-hour weeks.

St. Lucie County expanded its permitting area by 2,400 square feet. Escambia County has crews working on Saturdays. Charlotte County continues to train new customer service representatives.

And yet, the number of requests for permits and inspections simply overwhelms most departments' available manpower.

"Just the sheer volume has made it more difficult," said Toulson. "They're dealing with the public a lot more than they were. It's never fast enough."

Four hurricanes in one season means uncharted territory for building departments, just as for everyone else in the state.

"I've been in this department 32 years," said Don Mayo, director of Escambia County's Building Inspections Department. "This is by far the worst we've ever, ever encountered. It made (1995 hurricanes) Opal and Erin look like little Cub Scouts."

* * *

In most places, the lines have begun to wane. An hour here. Two hours there. But building officials know they are far from returning to normal.

"We're still bracing for once the insurance gets all squared away," said Mayo, who escaped to the Daytona 500 recently for a long overdue break. "It will be another wave. We'll brace for that and handle that, too."

In the meantime, the same pickup trucks with the same drivers will pull into the same parking lots across the state each morning to begin the daily ritual.

J.R. Miller, who used to ask for 20 permits a month and now asks for about 100, will be among the early risers in Charlotte County.

"I'll be back in the morning, 6:30," he said, climbing back into his truck. "That's the only way to get it done."

[Last modified March 8, 2005, 16:52:55]