Estero homeowners dealing with permit problems

Your home made it through Hurricane Ian, but now you still have to deal with the permitting process for repairs.

“This week, we are prepared to close on our home. And we got notice from the buyer’s agent that they could not secure home insurance because there was an open permit,” said Estero resident Kara Moyer.

Moyer’s roof had damage from Ian, but when they applied for a permit, they were left in limbo.

“The roofing company jumped on it, and they delivered the tiles the next week, prepared to get started and the tile sat in our driveway for three months,” said Moyer.

It took Kara months to get the permit. The inspection happened quickly, but the permit again took months to pass.

Neighbors in Estero on Facebook said the permitting process is like watching paint dry.

“It takes forever!” said one commenter.

“Normal. The village permitting process takes a very long time,” said another.

“Permitting with them is a complete nightmare!” said another commenter.

The Village Of Estero says, “We know we have an issue we know we’re behind. We’ve gotten some complaints from people,” said Mary Gibbs.

Mary Gibbs is the Community Development Director For The Village Of Estero. She said there are many explanations for the delays.

They have the same amount of staff, but the permit volume has grown.

They use an outsourced vendor, CGA, which provides all permitting and inspection staff.

Officials met with CGA about the permitting delays issue and they say they plan to get more hands on deck to help.

“I mean, that’s helpful. Because clearly, I think they need more hands on deck over there if there’s such a backlog,” said Moyer.