Jacksonville home owners who’ve had electrical work done or put on new roofs because of damage from Hurricane Irma could be eligible for a permit fee reimbursement. The city is offering refunds and the deadline to collect them is being pushed back.
City Council approved the refund program in October just after Hurricane Irma. It was supposed to last until the first of the year, but Councilman Garrett Dennis says people haven’t been claiming the refunded money.
“Out of the over 6,000 building permits, only 124 property owners applied for a refund,” Dennis said.
Related: Jacksonville Homeowners Can Get Permit Refunds For Irma Fixes
The city granted some 6,500 permits, mostly for roofing projects, from September 13 through the end of 2017. Dennis said the city is extending the reimbursement period through the end of June.
“We felt that there was a disconnect so the Finance Committee moved to extend the time period as well as mandate the building department to mail out to each individual property owner alerting them of this benefit,” Dennis said.
The city had set aside about $750,000 for refunds, and it will use $20,000 to mail reminders and affidavits to those who have paid for permits and might be eligible for refunds.
“We have a $15 million reserve in the building inspection department,” Dennis said of the fund in October. “That fund continues to grow and grow and grow and we only can use it specifically as it relates to building inspection operations and fees.”
To be eligible, property owners must have had Hurricane Irma damage and paid permit fees for certain electrical; or re-roofing or non-structural roof repair projects. The roofing permit fees are generally around $150.
All requests for a refund should be submitted to the city’s Building Inspection Division. Any questions concerning the eligibility of a refund can be answered by the city’s Building Inspection Division at (904) 630-1100.
Photo used under Creative Commons.
Reporter Lindsey Kilbride can be reached at lkilbride@wjct.org, 904-358-6359 or on Twitter at @lindskilbride.
