City waives permit fees for storm damage

The city of Sarasota is waiving building permit fees for the time being as residents continue to recover from Hurricane Ian. 

The city is waiving residential and commercial property fees that are storm damage-related through Jan. 1, 2023. Additionally, any permit fees that have already been paid for storm damage repairs will be refunded, dating back to Sept. 23, 2022, according to a statement. 

The permits and applications have to state hurricane damage to quality for the fee waiver. Everything from aluminum structure repairs to roof coverings will be covered, including fence repairs, tree removal, mechanical replacements, siding, soffit and fascia, and electrical service repairs, the release states. 

Additional reviews and permitting will be required for properties within a special flood hazard area and flood zones, and the contractors used should be licensed, insured and registered with the city. Building permits aren’t required for temporary repairs like tarps that are used to cover roof damage. 

In October, city Emergency Manager Todd Kerkering estimated there were around 150,000 to 200,000 cubic yards of landscape debris from Hurricane Ian. 

"That is double the amount of (Hurricane) Irma," Kerkering says, in a story in the Sarasota Observer, sister paper of the Business Observer. "It took us a little over three months to get Irma cleaned up. I would anticipate since it’s double. It could take us up to six months to get every street cleared and cleaned up."