Jacksonville is betting on artificial intelligence to shave weeks, and in some cases months, off plan reviews as the city scrambles to keep pace with a white-hot development boom. On This Week in Jacksonville's business edition, Kent Justice sat down with Sabrina Dugan, managing partner of Swiftbuild.ai, to talk through a pilot program that aims to speed plan review while keeping human staff firmly in charge.
Express Lane Permitting and the AI Pilot
The city rolled out an “Express Lane Permitting” option in August 2025 to fast-track projects for an additional fee, and officials say the new lane is already trimming review times. According to the City of Jacksonville, pilot projects have seen civil reviews wrap up in as few as 15 to 19 days, and the average first-review time for commercial permits drop to about 13 days. The fast-track option was first spotlighted by Hoodline last August.
How the AI Is Meant to Work
Local outlets have framed the pilot as a response to Jacksonville's rapid growth and mounting permit demand, and in the News4JAX segment Dugan stressed that the platform is built to speed up reviewers, not replace them. Dugan told News4JAX that the company’s SwiftGov system will read plans, flag likely code conflicts and bundle those findings for human staff to verify. The company’s website also describes SwiftGov as a tool that aggregates zoning details, flood elevations and code references so plan reviewers spend less time on repetitive lookups and more time on judgment calls.
Early Pilots and Developer Reaction
The early pilots have already produced some eye-catching turnarounds. One fast-food project’s civil review finished in 15 days, and plans for a large grocery store cleared civil review in 19 days, according to the Jax Daily Record. The paper reports that the city plans one or two more pilots and will prepare legislation to make the expedited option official if those trial runs keep performing.
Proof Points From Elsewhere in Florida
Swiftbuild.ai is pointing to early wins in other Florida jurisdictions as proof that the tech can actually deliver. A company press release covered by My Florida Now says Hernando County cut single-family review times from 30 days to just two days, and that Titusville has completed some zoning checks in under an hour. Local coverage of the Hernando County test emphasizes that the software’s role is to gather parcel data, zoning information and code references for staff review, not to make final permitting calls, county officials told the Hernando Sun.
What to Watch Next
City officials say they will expand the pilots, audit accuracy and costs, and then decide whether to formally lock in the Express Lane approach. The Jax Daily Record reports that Jacksonville intends to run one or two more pilots before drafting legislation. Developers and neighborhood groups are expected to watch closely for how accurate the AI proves to be, how transparent the process feels and how any new fees get set, since faster approvals can cut carrying costs but also shift project timelines and budgets.
For now, the AI tests amount to a bet on speed and predictability. If the pilots deliver for staff and builders, Jacksonville’s construction projects could see faster starts and fewer resubmissions. City officials say they will publish pilot results in the coming months and use that data to shape any formal changes to the city’s permitting code.
