By Skip Foster, Red Tape Florida
One of the questions Red Tape Florida gets asked most often is simple:
“Do local governments ever actually change?”
The answer is yes.
Today, Gulf County deserves credit for proving it.
Just a few months ago, Gulf County was one of the examples Red Tape Florida highlighted for creating unnecessary barriers to construction and private providers. The county had imposed a controversial $500 fee on projects using private providers, despite growing concern that the charge conflicted with both the spirit and the intent of Florida law. We also reported on concerns that the county’s permit discount for private-provider projects fell well short of what state lawmakers intended.
Representative Jason Shoaf took notice.
Rather than dismissing those concerns, Shoaf publicly urged Gulf County to comply with state law and ensure builders and property owners received the benefits the Legislature had approved.
The county responded.
And not with cosmetic changes.
Since hiring new Building Official Doug Crane, Gulf County has made a series of reforms that have fundamentally changed how the department approaches development and customer service.
Crane, who became a licensed Florida Building Code Administrator in late 2025, immediately reached out to the Florida Building Code Compliance Authority (FBCCA) to begin rebuilding relationships based on communication and cooperation rather than conflict.
“I’ve worked with building departments all over Florida, and the difference in Gulf County has been remarkable,” said Al Wilson, President of FBCCA. “The conversations are constructive, the department is following the law, and there’s a genuine willingness to work with applicants instead of against them. That’s all anyone in this industry has ever asked for.”
More importantly, those conversations have been followed by action.
The county has reduced permitting and planning fees.
The controversial $500 private-provider fee is gone. In its place is a $250 planning fee that applies uniformly to projects regardless of whether a private provider is used, eliminating the disparate treatment that had drawn criticism.
Gulf County has also implemented the requirements of HB 803, providing the minimum 50 percent permit fee reduction when a private provider performs both plan review and inspections. Previously, qualifying projects received only a 10 percent discount.
Perhaps just as important, Crane has reportedly made it clear to his staff that applicants should never be discouraged from using Florida’s private-provider program.
Those changes may sound administrative.
They’re not.
For builders, engineers, architects and property owners, permitting culture matters. A department that views applicants as customers rather than adversaries can save time, reduce uncertainty and encourage investment.
That’s especially true in smaller counties competing for jobs, housing and economic growth.
The lesson here extends beyond Gulf County.
Good government isn’t about never making mistakes. It’s about recognizing them, listening to legitimate concerns and being willing to change course.
That’s exactly what appears to have happened here.
Red Tape Florida has no interest in criticizing local governments simply for the sake of criticism. Our goal has always been to identify unnecessary bureaucracy and advocate for better government.
When jurisdictions move in the right direction, they deserve to be recognized.
By all accounts, Gulf County has done exactly that.