TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. – Treasure Island Residents working on the rebuild said back home their contractors need permits from the city, but a backlog of permits means many can’t get started. Some neighbors said red tape and confusion at City Hall are contributing to the slow process.

Frustrated residents aired complaints at a meeting Thursday night, and now the city commission says it wants to address the permit delays.

Hours before Hurricane Helene hit, Ari Irvings, like many of his neighbors, was ordered to evacuate. He grabbed what he could and returned to a house that had been under 4.5 feet of water.

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“The front door opened and all my belongings were destroyed,” he said.

The Irvings have been living with their family in Boston for 40 days. His house is destroyed, but his contractor was unable to get a permit from the City of Treasure Island to begin work on the house – even though he had a FEMA and a private assessment.

“I think the city was nothing short of inhumane,” Irvings said. “I think the city was completely messed up, it didn’t prioritize the needs of human beings. They have been exceptionally unclear, both with each other, at the leadership level, but also just in terms of how they communicate with citizens. “

FEMA allows cities to take two approaches when it comes to permitting:

• Option 1: Owners wait for the city to conduct substantial damage inspections before obtaining a permit
• Option two: The city can wait to complete assessments based on permits submitted by homeowners.

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The city chose to go with the first option for weeks, while the owners pushed for the second. The commission has already approved the second option, but at the commission meeting it admitted that there is a backlog in approving the authorizations.

“We have issues with permitting and we need to work on that,” Commissioner Deb Toth said.

City staff said 772 permits were submitted and only 85 were approved. They said they simply don’t have enough staff to process all the permits that come in.

Homeowners pleaded with the commission for help at Thursday’s meeting, and commissioners said they listened. The city said it will meet with an engineering firm Friday as it considers hiring help to process the permits.

Irving’s contractor said it could be two to four months before his home is livable again, but that clock doesn’t start until he has the permit in hand. Right now, contractors can apply for permits on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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