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A roofer examines a home damaged by Hurricane Ian in Florida. Credit: CBS The permitting lobby for the Lee County Department of Community Development will end its temporary waiver of building permit fees for hurricane-related repairs on Jan. 3. The department, with its lobby located at 1500 Monroe St. in Fort Myers, will adjust lobby hours of operation to 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3. In addition to the adjusted lobby hours, the department’s permitting lobby will be closed to the public and staff will not take phone calls all day Wednesday, Jan. 11, and Wednesday, Jan. 18, to address workload. The permitting lobby has had expanded hours of operation since Oct. 17 to assist homeowners with emergency permits to address damage from Hurricane Ian. However, the volume of building permit applications currently being submitted, both hurricane repair-related and regular permits, has led to a backlog in both the processing and review functions. The adjusted hours and planned closures will allow time for staff to address the backlog. Additional Wednesday closures may be considered as needed should the backlog persist. Watch the county website for updates.