St. Augustine Residents: Verify Planning & Building Payment Requests to Avoid Scams

St. Augustine residents urged to verify payment requests from Planning & Building Department

St. Augustine residents should exercise caution when receiving payment requests related to permits or other city services. The Planning and Building Department recently reminded the community about protocols for official communications and payments, emphasizing the need to verify any suspicious invoices.

The department, responsible for enforcing city codes for land use and State of Florida regulations concerning resident and visitor health, safety, and welfare, processes all official payments either through its Permit Portal or by check made out to the Planning & Building Department. The department never requests wire transfers for payments.

Official email communications from the city will only originate from addresses ending in @citystaug.com. If residents receive an invoice for application fees or advertising that seems suspicious, they should not pay it. Instead, they should immediately call the department at (904) 825-1065 to verify the request.

Residents seeking permits can find all necessary information and applications on the Building Permit Information Page of the Planning and Building Department website. The City's Zoning Atlas, which includes future land use documents, is also available online for property zoning information within city limits.

Under the leadership of Director Amy Skinner, the Planning and Building Department supports various city boards. These include the Planning and Zoning Board, Historic Architectural Review Board, Corridor Review Committee, Development Review Committee, and the Code Enforcement Special Magistrate. Information and agendas for these boards are accessible through their respective pages on the city's website.

For public records inquiries, the City of St. Augustine has designated City Clerk Darlene Galambos as its Custodian of Public Records, in accordance with Chapter 119, Florida Statutes. Residents wishing to inspect or copy public records can contact the Custodian of Public Records at 75 King Street, PO Box 210, St. Augustine, FL 32085, by phone at 904-825-1007, or via email to the City Clerk.