Sarasota permit data show economic recovery

Several hulking cranes have taken up residence in downtown Sarasota, providing visual evidence of the burgeoning economic recovery. Building permits the city and county issued in the previous fiscal year provide more concrete evidence.

The county disbursed 13% more permits in the 2014 fiscal year compared with the previous period, and the city’s numbers grew 14% over the same timeframe. The county’s 27,945 permits were worth about $861 million, while the city’s new construction value more than doubled to $362 million in 2014.

The number of construction jobs in the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota metropolitan study area reached 18,600 in August. That was greatest number of construction jobs in the region since the end of 2008, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

“There’s certainly pent-up demand in the change in the economy,” said Gulf Coast Builders Exchange Executive Director Mary Dougherty-Slapp.

The county has started several major capital improvement projects, including the $16.5 million Siesta Key public beach project. And Taylor Morrison executives broke ground Jan. 28, on the Esplanade by Siesta Key, a 77-acre development at the intersection of Stickney Point Road and South Tamiami Trail.

“Change in leadership at the county level has certainly helped things,” Dougherty-Slapp said. County Administrator Tom Harmer replaced Randall Reid at the beginning of the last fiscal year.

“This shows we’re heading in the right direction,” said City Manager Tom Barwin in a news release. “There is a culture of ‘yes’ in the building and permitting division, with our exceptional employees working diligently to ensure permits are issued for everything from roof construction, to air conditioning work, to plumbing and window installations.”

Major projects within the city include the State Street parking garage, while two of the new cranes work on the Jewel, a $19 million high-rise condominium, and One Palm, a mixed use project south of downtown. The Kolter Group recently broke ground on the Vue Sarasota Bay Development, a twin 18-story tower project.

“In all honesty, I think they’re trying very hard and making some positive changes,” Dougherty-Slapp said of the city’s building and permitting division. “But, some of the uncertainty at the elected level certainly causes folks some angst.”

City commissioners will soon pick replacements for Commissioner Shannon Snyder and Commissioner Paul Caragiulo, both of whom resigned to run for County Commission. The Gulf Coast Builders Exchange has endorsed Caragiulo in his campaign.

Despite the news about permits, the construction industry remains reticent about the future.

“The Great Recession changed us all,” Dougherty-Slapp said. “So while we’re optimistic, not all of us will have that unbridled optimism that we once had — we know things can change and change quickly.”