JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan announced the launching of a new system that aims to improve the permitting process in the city.
During a press conference at City Hall on Wednesday, Deegan said “fixing” the permitting process has been a priority for her administration, pointing out that the city’s current system has been inefficient for both the city and taxpayers.
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“I have heard one thing over and over and over again, the same thing all of you have heard, it just takes too darn long to get a permit in Jacksonville,” Deegan said.
JAXEPICS, which stands for Jacksonville Enterprise Permitting, Inspections and Compliance System, will make it easier for business owners to submit permit applications and upload the necessary documents from any computer or mobile device. In addition, real-time notifications will be sent to city staff and customers as steps are completed and when additional documentation is needed, Deegan said.
According to Deegan, the city processes 9,000 permits every month, and the number is increasing as the city continues growing.
“We believe that JAXEPICS and these process improvements will significantly reduce the average time it takes to get a permit approved over the next six months, and we will now be able to accurately measure that process,” Deegan said.
The new permit system expects to bring the initial process down from 30 to 20 days to get approval for commercial reviews, and from 25 to 15 business days for residential reviews.
Deegan also said they will be hiring more people to review permit applications and reduce wait times.
Visit the JAXEPICS’ website to start the permit application process.