Duval County issued 4,935 single-family building permits in 2001, setting a county record and leading the way in a record-breaking year for the four-county area, according to the Northeast Florida Builders Association and building department records from Duval, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns Counties and the Census Bureau.
“The permit numbers coincide with an increase in the consumer confidence index,” said Stephen Edmonds, incoming president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. “There have been very favorable interest rates, as well as our weather and the industry’s efforts to keep housing affordable in Northeast Florida. All contribute to these record numbers.”
The old Duval County mark of 3,847 was set in 1998.
The four county-area of Duval, Nassau, Clay and St. Johns counties combined to issue 9,603 single-family permits over 12 months last year, besting the old record of 7,935 set in 2000.
A strong December helped break the record.
In Duval County, 315 permits were issued in December, compared to 205 in the same month a year earlier. The other three counties also showed an increase when comparing December 2001-to-December 2000. St. Johns recorded 140 (plus 16), Clay 133 (plus 34) and Nassau 96 (plus 76).