Florida law to ease building permit process for Cape Coral homeowners

A new Florida law taking effect July 1 will streamline building permit requirements for certain home improvement projects, aiming to make the process faster and easier for homeowners.

Cape Coral resident Antonio Conigliaro is remodeling his home and is excited about the changes.

"It's going to be beautiful. It's going to be amazing. It's going to be all screened in now," Conigliaro said.

Conigliaro described the challenges of managing the permitting process alongside his work schedule.

"I'm taking time off from work to come here, you know, and do all this stuff," he said.

House Bill 803, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, removes the building permit requirement for certain projects costing $7,500 or less on single-family homes.

However, exceptions remain for electrical, plumbing, structural, mechanical, and gas work, which will still require permits.

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Supporters of the bill believe the change will help homeowners complete smaller projects more quickly.

"It's beneficial for us, like I said, you know? So it helps. Cape Coral helps everybody out, you know, and makes the process easier to do," Conigliaro said.

Opponents in the insurance industry have expressed concerns that the law could encourage unlicensed labor and uninspected work.

The law also introduces faster turnaround times for certain building permit applications.

For existing single-family home projects costing under $15,000, local governments will now have five business days to approve, approve with conditions, or deny a permit application after receiving a complete and sufficient application.

Cape Coral city leaders will review the implications of the new law during a council meeting at 4 p.m. today at Cape Coral City Hall.