FY 2017-2018 Accomplishments

• The Building Services Department continued to ensure all permitted residential and commercial construction activity is in compliance with state and local building codes.
• Issued 26,110 building permits, with 1,371 new residential projects and 209 new commercial projects. The department also conducted same-day review of 61 percent of residential plans submitted, 93 percent of residential plans within three days, and 80 percent of commercial plans within 15 days.
• Maintained Escambia County’s current CRS Rating of 6. The Community Rating System recognizes and encourages community floodplain management activities that exceed the minimum standards.
• Reviewed 32 applications for Examination for Certificate of Competency licensure that were approved by the Contractor Competency Board and Board of Electrical Examiners. Received and reviewed 86 written complaints against licensed contractors, with 67 percent resulting in resolution between the parties, five disciplinary actions taken by the boards and two licenses being suspended or revoked.
• Investigated over 900 cases of unlicensed/unpermitted activity, with over $16,250 in penalties or citations, seven probable cause arrest affidavits issued and over $300,000 in restitution returned to victims. Achieved a 98 percent success rate of obtaining permits for unpermitted work.
• Permitting Division received 8,859 permits through the brand-new online customer portal that were reviewed and issued. The online customer portal allows contractors to submit applications from the comfort of their offices or even from the construction site.
• The implementation of the new permitting software, MyPermitNow, by Building Services, Development Services and Environmental Enforcement Department has resulted in a savings of approximately $180,000 for the county.
• Building Services along with the other departments in the Central Office Complex implemented QLess, a software solution to eliminate waiting in lines, to ensure seamless operations and faster customer service response time.