BRADENTON BEACH – City commissioners received an update on the influx of building permits sought for the construction of new homes. They were also updated on some pending home demolitions.
“There are 19 new homes being built,” Code Enforcement Officer Evan Harbus said during the Feb. 19 city commission meeting. “We’re also expecting some new permit applications to come in on 19 other empty lots.”
Harbus said he is working with Building Official Rob Perry on two homes that will ultimately be demolished.
“The big one right now is 2416 (Gulf Drive),” Harbus said. “It’s the blue house that sits on stilts on the beach. We spoke with the owner of the property and eventually that’s going to be demolished.”
Harbus said the city asked for temporary fencing to be placed around the house, which he described as “rotting.” He said the property owner is in talks with the state to get approval for a new house to be built.
“We’ve been working on blighted properties – buildings that are either falling down or may collapse,” Perry said. “For 2416 Gulf, the eyebeams under there, I thought, were very critical. The stairs are pulling away from the building. I’m talking with DEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) representatives about putting safety fencing in the dunes around it.”
Perry said the building is unsafe and he’s been speaking with the owner about having the building demolished.
“I think that one is ready to fall into the beach,” Perry said.
Another property officials expect to be demolished is the orange bungalow at 1203 Gulf Drive S.
“I’ve been in talks with the owner,” Harbus said. “They went for a grant from the Elevate Florida program but they were denied. They didn’t pass inspection. Rob and I are speaking with them and trying to figure out when that house will eventually be demolished.”
Elevate Florida is a Florida Division of Emergency Management program in which homeowners can apply for funding to elevate structures in flood-prone areas.
“At 1203 Gulf Drive, he had a problem where he was trying to raise it,” Perry said. “My experience with raising these buildings is that it’s unsafe to raise old, wooden structures. They will not give you the grant because they feel it’s unsafe to raise those older structures that are over 50 years old, and they’re afraid they’re going to fall apart when they try to raise them.”
As of July 2025, 33 hurricane-damaged homes have been demolished citywide since the 2024 hurricanes.
