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St. Pete Beach residents impacted by Hurricane Milton still waiting for permits: 'Extremely frustrating'

By
Published  December 9, 2024 5:54am EST
St. Petersburg
FOX 13 News

Permitting problems after recent hurricanes

Two months after Hurricane Milton impacted the Tampa Bay area, some in St. Pete Beach say they’re still struggling to get permits needed to make critical repairs to their homes.

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. - It's now been two months since Hurricane Milton caused extensive damage throughout the Tampa Bay area. Many are in the process of rebuilding, but others in St. Pete Beach say they’ve hit a standstill because they say the city still hasn’t the permits needed to make the proper repairs.

Robinson Ang has been waiting for more than six weeks to get a permit to repair his roof, so his tenants can move back in. One of them was staying in a tent on the property in the fenced-in backyard, but Ang says the city threatened a fine, so she had to leave Sunday. Ang is hoping something can be done to speed up the process.

He says he never thought his property would still be so damaged two months after Hurricane Milton.

Robinson Ang has been waiting for more than six weeks to get a permit to repair his roof, so his tenants can move back in.

Robinson Ang has been waiting for more than six weeks to get a permit to repair his roof, so his tenants can move back in.

"It's extremely frustrating because the city is not doing their part to help us rebuild," Ang said.

Ang says at this point it's out of his hands. He says he's done everything he can on his own to repair his home, but larger repairs like fixing the massive hole in the roof of the rental duplex he owns in St. Pete Beach requires a permit from the city.

"You expect your citizens to be compliant with your rules and regulations, and yet the rules and regulations, you're not doing anything to expedite this because this is an abnormal circumstance. So you need to do abnormal measures to rectify this," Ang said.

Waiting for a permit? What homeowners can do while they wait

Ang applied for his permit with the City of St. Pete Beach back on Oct. 25. He has a roofing company standing by waiting to get started. He says he's called the City of St. Pete Beach several times and sent emails to figure out why it's taking so long, but still hasn't heard anything.

"This is a big hardship on the citizens of St. Pete Beach and all the other beach communities. They really need to find extraordinary measures to help alleviate the suffering of the people," Ang said.

One of Robinson Ang's tenants was staying in a tent on the property in the fenced-in backyard, but Ang says the city threatened a fine, so she had to leave Sunday.

One of Robinson Ang's tenants was staying in a tent on the property in the fenced-in backyard, but Ang says the city threatened a fine, so she had to leave Sunday.

Meanwhile, along his street, damage piles still remain waiting to be picked up by the city. He says the longer the city takes to issue the permits, the more income he and his neighbors are missing out because they can't rent out their homes. He's hoping the city does something soon and fast, so the rebuilding process can get back on track.

"I understand that this had never happened before, but they really need to find a solution for this," Ang said.

Hundreds of St. Pete Beach residents are still waiting for permits to begin repairs two months after Hurricane Milton.

Hundreds of St. Pete Beach residents are still waiting for permits to begin repairs two months after Hurricane Milton.

FOX 13 reached out to the City of St. Pete Beach to learn more about what's taking so long, and we're still waiting to hear back. We do know about 600 permit applications have been submitted. Of those, fewer than 80 have been issued.

The city previously told FOX 13 they've hired 18 more employees since October to help speed up the process.

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