NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Chad Karr and his wife are living here, and their two dogs don’t seem thrilled about it either.
“We are sitting with our pets living in a camper right now just because that’s the only place we can find right now to stay,” said Karr.
Karr’s friend let him rent a camper after his home in Gulf Harbors took in almost a foot of water during Hurricane Helene. He said it’s now been professionally remediated. But he can’t get Pasco County’s permitting department to give him what he needs to get repairs done.
“They keep passing the buck. They keep moving it from one person to another. The wait time for my general contractor on the phone when I spoke to him, he’s sitting for an hour on hold just to get one answer,” said Karr.
Karr and many of his neighbors, including Paris Tsirnikas, the President of the Gulf Harbors Civic Association, are in similar situations.
“I needed baseboards, interior doors, and interior trim, and a dishwasher. That’s it. My permit I was told between 7-10 days. Today is the 10th day and I have yet to hear a word,” said Tsirnikas.
People can apply for building permits on Pasco County’s website, and there is a checklist of things you’ll need. But people here said the county is micro-managing at a time when so many are in desperate need.
“I think people in government forget that there’s human lives at stake here. People cannot afford to maintain a second residence while they are repairing this one,” Tsirnikas said.
“My AC guy to finish remediation, they changed the rules on him four times in one week just to pull a permit. Just to put the simplest thing we do in Florida every single day. Put an AC unit in," said Karr.
Some local governments around the Bay area, including Pasco County, have waived permitting fees. However, construction without a permit can result in a stop work order and fines.
“There’s certain steps that we all need to go through and we are aware. But as an active homeowner that lives in the community, we should be able to streamline this process and that’s why we want some help,” said resident BettyAnn McCloud.
These Gulf Harbor residents plan to work together to get help, and they’d like to see local leaders step in.
Pasco County does have two pop-up permit locations set up.
- Pasco County Tax Collector's Office at 4720 US-19, New Port Richey
- Lacoochee Boys & Girls Club at 38724 Mudcat Grant Blvd, Dade City
Florida unlicensed contractor faces a bond normally reserved for murderers and violent criminals.
