FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:  Pete Winton, Lee County Administration
               (239) 335-2777

MAY PERMITTING NUMBERS OUT/ANOTHER ALL-TIME RECORD

FORT MYERS, Fla. (June 8, 2004) - Lee County's Community Development Department issued 660 single-family home permits in the month of May - an all-time record for the second month in a row and a 48 percent increase over last May's total of 445.

The 400 monthly permits mark was broken only for the first time in April 2003; 500 for the first time in August 2003; and 600 for the first time in April 2004.

Lee County's Community Development Department released its May statistics today. The totals are for unincorporated Lee County, City of Bonita Springs and Town of Fort Myers Beach. Both Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach contract with the county to do their permitting services.

The value of the 660 single-family home permits is $126.3 million. So far this year, the county has permitted $1.13 billion of construction. Permitting value in Lee County experienced a huge increase in 2003, surging a whopping $500 million to surpass the $2 billion mark. Permit value in 2002 was $1.48 billion.

To view the complete May report, click
http://www.lee-county.com/dcd1/Reports/NewConstruction/2004/May/2004MayNCM.PDF
.

To view the complete Year-to-Date report, click
http://www.lee-county.com/dcd1/Reports/NewConstruction/2004/May/2004MayNCYTD.PDF
.

Single-family permitting for the last 14 months is:

2003                            

April - 403                                               
May - 445
June - 365
July - 400
Aug. - 571
Sept. - 423
Oct. - 474
Nov. - 406
Dec. - 419

2004

Jan. - 547
Feb. - 466
Mar. - 570
April - 632
May - 660

Lee County Community Development oversees planning, zoning, and development services such as permitting, development review, code enforcement and building inspections in the unincorporated areas of the county and for Bonita Springs and Fort Myers Beach. It employs 205 people and has a fiscal year 2004 operating budget of $21 million.

To learn more about the department and its services, visit http://www.lee-county.com/dcd/.