With one month left in 2016, the total number of new-home permits issued in Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties exceeds the total for 2015. First, second and third quarter totals exceeded last year’s and suggest a steady increase over the past 12 months. According to the National Association of Home Builders, builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes jumped 7 points to a level of 70 on the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, the highest since July 2005.*