Impact Fees to rise ? (Punta Gorda: house, buying, calculating)

[JERSEY MAN]

I'm a rookie. Where and what are you talking about that cost 6k a day in interest?

[SeaRay35]

Originally Posted by MikMal

For existing structures, they'll rape you with their permit fees. Most start around $94. Heck, you even need a permit ($109.00) to put up a baby barrier!

I think you are actually low on the fees, it seems to me everything is at least $200. A small fence we are having installed, $200 a propane tank installed, total job cost $850 and of that $200 was permit fee! That is ridiculous! I understand Florida is a fee based state, but Wow!

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

... I am all about ( a proponant for ) Building Codes and even permit fee's, with some common sense and restaint...

And thus my main complaint. I wanted to install a screen door on the front of my house. The door cost $297 and I was going to do the install myself. I went to the permits office and was told that it is considered an "Exterior door" and the permit fee would be $90. Worst yet, it would be the same if I just installed a single screen door or replaced every exterior door in the house; $90. That would have made the permit fee almost 1/4 of the entire job cost. I decided I didn't want a screen door that bad.

JMHO, but I don't think permit fees should ever be 25% of a job, or even 10% for that matter. If they want to make it easy, just make it the same as sales tax; 6% of the job cost or $90 (since they love that price for whatever reason), whichever is less.

[03bluecoupe]

Wow, I can understand a permit/inspection fee in the case of things like electrical, plumbing, Propane tanks, etc but a freekin' screen door? That's ridiculous. Is Saratoga County any better? Maybe we'll rule out looking in Charlotte County.

[Macgregorsailor51]

Rich People voted in ...no state income tax.... they each( just a few but very powerful) saved Hundreds of Thousands of dollars per year! So Floridas sales tax is a bit on the high side and they lack any other real source of income so they tax everything.The Big Guys Wont Pay so squeeze The Little people.. There Really is very little Commercial and Industrial in Florida so they HIT WHAT THEY HAVE Residential! That's the difference in what Big House was saying.. I too Built MILLIONS of Sq Feet of Commerical and Industrial Buildings and yes permits costs big bucks.. For numerous Years I ran The Electrical Installations for Web Host and Cell Sites .. Think buildings half the size of a Public's and The Electrical ALONE...Averaged $20,000,000.00 per building. Yes thats Right I said... Twenty Million US Dollars for the Electrical Alone..Comparitivley The Permits and Fees seemed like a pitance.. But Those businesses generated HUGE Incomes.. Are you following me?

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

Wow, I can understand a permit/inspection fee in the case of things like electrical, plumbing, Propane tanks, etc but a freekin' screen door? That's ridiculous. Is Saratoga County any better? Maybe we'll rule out looking in Charlotte County.

[03bluecoupe]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

Rich People voted in ...no state income tax.... they each( just a few but very powerful) saved Hundreds of Thousands of dollars per year! So Floridas sales tax is a bit on the high side and they lack any other real source of income so they tax everything.The Big Guys Wont Pay so squeeze The Little people.. There Really is very little Commercial and Industrial in Florida so they HIT WHAT THEY HAVE Residential! That's the difference in what Big House was saying.. I too Built MILLIONS of Sq Feet of Commerical and Industrial Buildings and yes permits costs big bucks.. For numerous Years I ran The Electrical Installations for Web Host and Cell Sites .. Think buildings half the size of a Public's and The Electrical ALONE...Averaged $20,000,000.00 per building. Yes thats Right I said... Twenty Million US Dollars for the Electrical Alone..Comparitivley The Permits and Fees seemed like a pitance.. But Those businesses generated HUGE Incomes.. Are you following me?

Oh, I'm very familiar with "the drill", but for a freekin' screen door? I mean really...

[Macgregorsailor51]

As you can imagine those fees really add up.. Thats Why They Are Hard On BEING Licensed Here.. There is no testing to speak of, to show ability and knowledge ( Thats Freaking Obvious!) its just a Business Tax..Tax Tax Tax..

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

Oh, I'm very familiar with "the drill", but for a freekin' screen door? I mean really...

[MikMal]

Originally Posted by Macgregorsailor51

As you can imagine those fees really add up.. Thats Why They Are Hard On BEING Licensed Here.. There is no testing to speak of, to show ability and knowledge ( Thats Freaking Obvious!) its just a Business Tax..Tax Tax Tax..

Yea, I guess there is always the possibility that I might have installed the screen door sideways or upside down.

IMHO, I think the county sees permit fees as a cash-cow and themselves as an employment service. When my new (actually replacement) dock was built, it was inspected by three different inspectors. One each for zoning, right-of-way, and building. Really? One inspector couldn't handle all of that?? I would guess the combined time spent on location by the three was less than 10 minutes.

[03bluecoupe]

And I thought the county we live in in NY was anal retentive about it! (and they are) But I don't even need a permit for a freekin' screen door...

[Restrain]

Replacing one window, permit was $94, had to provide copies of installation plans, engineered specs for the window, Florida window approval, sketch of the house showing the window, etc. took a week for Approval.

That is why so many small jobs are done without permits. 'I know a guy who knows a guy...'