City officials are putting a temporary halt to all nonessential construction in Jacksonville Beach. A notice was issued April 2 by Building Official George Knight and Fire Marshal Steve Sciotto notifying all contractors and private property owners of the new construction-related measures.
Work on open-air construction sites is permitted and will be allowed to continue as long as the property remains unenclosed. Any renovation or alteration that is not open air must cease immediately for actively-permitted projects. Active construction sites are required to employ social distancing guidelines and must provide basic sanitation measures to reduce the threat of COVID-19.
“Outdoor construction can be done. Open air is fine. Once they put windows and doors and a roof on, that’s when the interior work has got to stop,” said Sciotto. “They can do the outside work so they can come back and stucco and everything else. If they leave the doors and windows out, they can do all the interior they want.”
New construction may move forward as long as it remains open and the city’s Planning Department will continue issuing permits. Work must stop at certain stages, Sciotto noted. According to city officials, emergency repairs or other services deemed necessary to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation of buildings and critical infrastructure will be permitted. The goal is to maintain the health and safety of the contractors and the community.
“Like at Target, they were in the midst of remodeling so inside where they were working on their fire alarm and fire sprinkler system, they can complete those because it’s part of life safety,” he said.
Jacksonville Beach City Hall is closed to the public, but the Department of Planning and Development will continue to process applications and conduct inspections. Plan review will continue, but permits for nonessential construction will not be issued during the state of emergency. Inspections only will be performed for permitted open construction and the outside of occupied structures for residential and commercial properties.
Projects that are deemed unessential must stop construction immediately. Construction companies are required to secure the project site, store or remove construction materials, and remove temporary facilities such as dumpsters. Failure to comply is punishable to the fullest extent allowed by law, according to the notice. The city of Atlantic Beach has also issued a similar directive.
“It’s not wise to put a group of individuals in an enclosed structure for any length of time. We’re doing it in a way that is not a risk to the works or the general public,” said Knight. “My theory is if the house is completely closed up, I don’t want you in there. We’re working towards trying to get some resolution and keep people working. The whole point is to keep people safe.”
