When a developer breaks ground on a high-rise in Florida, it’s more than concrete, steel, and glass. It’s a finely choreographed dance among architects, engineers, contractors, regulators, and dozens of inspections. Delays in any one area — permitting, plan revisions, structural review, inspections — can cascade into weeks or months of lost time. But some developers manage to defy typical timelines. Here’s how one did it, and how using a permit expediting service like All Florida Permits made the difference.
The Challenge
“Parkside Towers” a proposed 30-story mixed-use high-rise in Tampa, was ambitious: retail and restaurants on the lower levels, offices in the middle, residential units above, plus a rooftop amenity deck. The developer aimed to complete the project in 30 months total (from land acquisition to final Certificate of Occupancy), a tight schedule for a building of this size in a jurisdiction with stringent building codes and a slow-moving permit office.
In past projects, the developer had encountered:
- Delays of several months due to incomplete permit applications
- Back-and‐forth over plan revisions, often because of misalignment between architects’ designs and local building department expectations
- Inspection failures late in the project (plumbing, fire safety, structural) that forced work stoppage and rework
- Missing or delayed specialty permits (environmental, zoning, health department) that held up the start of key trades
To make the 30-month timeline, things needed to run smoothly from Day 1.
How They Coordinated and Why It Helped
- Pre-construction alignment
The developer organized a kick-off meeting with the full design team, project manager, contractors, and legal/zoning consultants. Together they mapped out all the jurisdictions involved (city, county, state), all required permits, and anticipated problem areas (zoning variances, environmental approvals, fire department sign-offs). They built in time buffers for each ‘risky’ permit. - Document readiness & reviews in parallel
While architects finalized structural plans, civil and mechanical engineers began preparing for their parts. All disciplines shared their drafts with internal quality control so that by the time the official permit application was assembled, the package was as complete as possible. This reduced the chance of revisions after submission. - Frequent check-ins
Weekly meetings among internal stakeholders kept everyone updated: “Do we have all sign-offs from environmental?” “Has the Health Department returned their review?” If any permit application was held up, they pulled in the responsible party immediately to avoid a domino-effect. - Using experienced partners for permit & inspection tracking
Because the developer had done high-rise work before, they knew that some local agencies (fire marshal, health, etc.) often delay simply because of paperwork mistakes or missing data. So instead of relying solely on internal staff, they contracted with a specialized expediting firm to manage permit submission, monitor queries from the permitting offices, and coordinate inspections when needed.
The Role of All Florida Permits
Here’s where All Florida Permits became a pivotal partner:
- Expert Guidance & Jurisdiction Knowledge: All Florida Permits has deep familiarity with Florida’s building codes, zoning, environmental regulations, and specialty permit requirements. That means they know what each local permitting office expects, what forms are required, typical pitfalls, and which “neighbors” (outside agencies) need to be contacted. This upfront knowledge helped the Parkside project avoid last-minute surprises.
- End-to-End Permit Management: From preparing forms, collecting supporting documents, ensuring plans meet all regulatory standards, to submitting applications and tracking progress. All Florida Permits handled much of that with the developer’s team. That freed up internal staff to focus on construction logistics rather than chasing permit status.
- Fast Turnaround: When permit offices had questions or required corrections, All Florida Permits reacted quickly, because it’s part of their business. Their turnaround on plan revisions or document corrections helped avoid weeks of delay.
- Coordination of Specialty Permits & Inspections: For things like fire safety, health department sign-offs, environmental permits, certificate of occupancy/temporary occupancy, etc., All Florida Permits ensured all inspections were scheduled properly, documentation was in order, and that any deficiencies flagged by inspectors were resolved swiftly.
The Outcome
Thanks to that coordinated approach and the contribution of an expediting service, Parkside Towers was completed in 29 months (one month ahead of schedule). Key metrics:
| Bottleneck | Expected Delay | Avoided Delay | How Avoided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permit review | 4-6 months | trimmed to 2 months | Complete plan submissions & expeditor follow-ups |
| Specialty permits | 3 months | 1 month | Pre-filing, parallel tracking |
| Inspection delays | 2 months | minimal | Better scheduling & pre-inspection prep |
| Revisions | several cycles | fewer revisions | QC and experienced partner feedback |
Cost overruns related to delays were reduced significantly. The developer saved on soft costs (financing, interest, site holding), avoided labor standby costs, and got earlier income from leasing.
Key Lessons for Developers
- Start permitting planning the moment you decide on the project, don’t wait until you have all designs done. Anticipate what permits you’ll need, which agencies are involved, and where delays might occur.
- Invest in quality: both in design/engineering and in document package. Incomplete or low-quality submittals cost more in delays than upfront time.
- Use specialized permitting/expediting help if possible. The cost of an expeditor is often small compared to the cost of delays.
- Keep everyone aligned, design, construction, permitting, inspections, so that problems are caught early.
How All Florida Permits Fits Into That Big Picture
All Florida Permits offers a uniquely Florida-focused expediting service that:
- Covers statewide jurisdictions, so whether your high-rise is in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, or elsewhere, they can handle the peculiarities of each area.
- Provides fast turnaround and expert review to catch mistakes early.
- Manages all required permit types (building, zoning, health, certificates of occupancy, etc.) as well as managing inspections.
So, for any developer who wants to move a high-rise (or any large project) through the pipeline more efficiently, bringing in All Florida Permits alongside strong internal coordination can be a game changer.
Ready to move your high-rise or commercial project forward without costly delays? Visit All Florida Permits or call us today at 786.883.1883 to see how we can help you expedite permits, coordinate inspections, and keep your timeline on track.