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Punta Gorda preservation board presses city to tighten structural-engineer report standards after storms
Summary
Members of the Historic Preservation Advisory Board told city staff they are receiving inconsistent or inadequate structural-engineer reports on damaged historic properties and asked staff to add clearer criteria to application templates and to consult the city attorney about requiring 'certified' specialists for demolition reviews.
The Historic Preservation Advisory Board of Punta Gorda urged city staff on Oct. 5 to tighten the city’s requirements for structural-engineer reports used in demolition and certificate-of-appropriateness reviews, saying many submitted reports are inadequate for deciding whether a contributing historic structure can be demolished or repaired.
Board members said the reports they receive are often short letters or assessments that do not address the building’s overall structural soundness. "We have to have a structural engineer’s report. If you do not give us a structural engineer’s report, we cannot even entertain a property owner coming to us for a demo recommendation," board member Lucille Ponti said. "For a year, we’re getting reports that are really not structural-engineer reports."
The board pointed to a Florida law that establishes a voluntary certification program for structural-engineering specialists but does not force engineers to hold that…
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