Sawdust all over SW Florida

The numbers confirm homebuilders' recent optimism, and comparisons to last year are dramatic.

Single-family homebuilding permits in the three-county area of Charlotte, Collier and Lee surged 81% in February compared with the same month one year ago, according to the Regional Economic Research Institute at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

Builders in the three-county area pulled 349 permits to build single-family homes in February, with Lee County leading the increase with 202 permits and a 70% jump over February 2012.

Collier County issued 110 single-family homebuilding permits in February, a 58% increase over the same month in 2012. Charlotte County issued 37 permits, more than double the number it issued in February 2012.