Data compiled from city and county building departments by the Northeast Florida Builders Association for Clay, Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties show the greater Jacksonville area has surpassed last year’s total of 13,636 with 17,753 permits recorded for 2005, a 30 percent gain over last year. Local experts had predicted at least 20 percent growth.
“Even with our expected end-of-year dip, we anticipated another record-setting year in the Jacksonville area,” said Jerry Linder, newly installed president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association and president of The Vintage Group. “We could see that the total would approach 18,000, which is truly remarkable when you look at the growth over the past five years.”
Linder said the total number of permits has more than doubled since 2000, when the area reported 7,487 permits for the year.
Duval County showed the highest percentage growth of the four counties with 2,259 more permits issued in 2005 compared to 2004 for a 37 percent growth rate. Clay County had a 31 percent rate of growth, St. Johns County 26 percent and Nassau County was relatively flat with only 6 percent growth.
The monthly average for the four-county area in 2005 was 1,479 permits issued. The peak came in August (1,975 permits) and September (1,971 permits), and the lowest was in November with 1,086. An unusually severe hurricane season and normal seasonal trends explained the lower numbers at the end of the year.
“A decline in permits is typical at the end of the year,” Linder said. “It is a natural fluctuation of construction and sales. Overall, we’ve had a very good year, and the end-of-year numbers bear that out.”
CLAY COUNTY
December 2005/110
November 2005/123
2005 Total YTD/3,526
2004 Total/2,687
2003 Total/2,313
DUVAL COUNTY
December 2005/597
November 2005/517
2005 Total YTD/8,360
2004 Total/6,101
2003 Total/5,646
NASSAU COUNTY
December 2005/83
November 2005/95
2005 Total YTD/1,306
2004 Total/1,238
2003 Total/1,005
ST. JOHNS COUNTY
December 2005/350
November 2005/351
2005 Total YTD/4,561
2004 Total/3,610
2003 Total/3,002
Greater Jacksonville Area
(Clay, Duval Nassau and St. Johns counties)
2005 December/1,140
2005 November/1,086
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2005 Total/17,753
2004 Total/13,636
2003 Total/11,976
2002 Total/10,618
2001 Total/9,075
200 Total/7,487