Dock dispute entangles town official

REDINGTON BEACH — Like many storm-damaged property owners, James Murray set about repairing his dock after the 2024 hurricanes. He obtained a building permit, hired a contractor and had the completed work inspected.

What makes his situation different is that Murray is the town’s vice mayor. And he says an oversight by a company that he and his colleagues subsequently hired to run the building department cost him an additional $1,600.

The problem surfaced earlier this year, when the completed dock failed its final inspection. Not because of the work, but because it had been rebuilt without a required Pinellas County Water & Navigation permit that wasn't issued until this month.

That misstep at Murray’s home, at 16005 5th St. E., kicked off months of back-and-forth over who dropped the ball.

Murray says he was told by a permit technician that he had everything he needed to begin construction. SAFEbuilt, the town's building services contractor since November 2025, has pointed to permit documents that put responsibility on Murray and his contractor to make sure required permits were pulled.

Murray, who could not be reached for comment by The Pinellas Current, first aired his complaints publicly at a May 6 Town Commission meeting. He said he was given wrong information when he applied for the dock permit, resulting in delays and additional costs. He also raised questions about the town's reliance on SAFEbuilt for permitting services.

In an unusual move, SAFEbuilt came to the next Town Commission meeting with a detailed timeline of Murray's permit.

“We were recently made aware of one of the commissioner's concerns regarding a dock and some accusations against SAFEbuilt,” permit technician Victoria Christopher told commissioners June 3, adding that the company was there to “clear our name.”

According to Christopher, Murray's permit application was submitted Oct. 14 through neighboring Redington Shores, which was then providing building department services to Redington Beach through SAFEbuilt.

The application described the project as rebuilding the storm-damaged dock to its previous layout and footprint, with no new square footage.

It also included paperwork for the required Pinellas County Water & Navigation permit as well as a previously approved 2013 county application showing the dock's earlier configuration.

The application was approved Oct. 22 by Tony Bryan, the SAFEbuilt building official at the time, and the town permit was issued Oct. 27. Christopher stressed that she and current Building Official Randy Spears were not involved in the review.

Who dropped the ball?

Murray told commissioners that when he applied for the permit in October, he specifically asked the permit technician whether he was cleared to begin construction.

“I asked that permit tech, can I build a dock?” Murray said. “And we're ready to go, yes, this is all you need. So we built the dock in good faith.”

In a March 27 email to county officials, Murray gave a similar account, saying he had met in person with Redington Beach's building department, then operating out of Redington Shores, and that “there was never a mention of having to get a second permit from Pinellas County.”

The dock was completed in January. At the Feb. 5 final inspection, Murray learned the required county permit and stamped plans were missing.

Murray's contractor, Dock Medics, then applied for the missing county permit. Murray paid the regular $400 application fee Feb. 23.

But because the dock had already been rebuilt, the county later assessed an additional $1,600 after-the-fact permit fee, which Murray paid May 18.

Murray told commissioners he would have “gladly paid” the original $400 had he known the county permit was required.

“I blame both the contractor and the lady who told me I could build the dock,” Murray said.

The paperwork Murray signed, however, stated that it was his responsibility to obtain any necessary federal, state and local permits and approvals. It specifically noted that projects within municipalities could require approval from both the municipality and Pinellas County.

The contractor also signed paperwork agreeing to construct the project in accordance with county requirements and the submitted plans.

More complications

The missing permit wasn't the end of Murray’s problems.

After inspecting the property March 10, county staff identified several discrepancies between what was on site and the previous permit, including differences in measurements and features that weren't reflected on the plans. Revised drawings were required.

In his March email, Murray complained that the permitting problems were part of a larger struggle facing residents still recovering from the hurricanes.

“There is a misconception that people on the beaches are rebuilt and life is back to normal,” he wrote.

Murray said many storm victims were still navigating “a maze of options and roadblocks” involving insurance, FEMA and local governments.

“This experience has shown me that Pinellas County is sledgehammering people that are just trying to get things back to where they were before the storm,” he wrote.

The county review continued into the summer. In late June, a county reviewer said the rebuilt dock was “slightly different from what was previously permitted” and sought additional revisions, records show. By July 2, the reviewer said the revised drawings looked good and could be returned to the town for approval.

A lesson learned

Notwithstanding the disagreement over responsibility, Christopher said Murray's experience has changed how SAFEbuilt handles dock permits.

She said permit technicians now explicitly tell applicants that after receiving local approval, they must take their paperwork to Pinellas County Water & Navigation and obtain the separate county permit.

“Please, please, please make sure that you are telling everybody who gets a dock permit” that county approval also is required, Christopher said she has instructed her staff.

The revised plans eventually received SAFEbuilt's approval and were returned to the county. Pinellas County issued Murray's Water & Navigation permit Aug. 12 — about six months after his contractor applied for it.

Murray, for his part, indicated he had no quarrel with the current SAFEbuilt staff. He said he had thought the matter was behind him and had complimented Christopher and Spears for their work.

“It's a learning experience, I guess, on my dime,” Murray said.

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