Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Floodplain Management topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Dunedin updates floodplain rules to comply with new Florida law; commission approves ordinance
Summary
The City Commission unanimously approved Ordinance 25‑07 to align Dunedin’s floodplain management rules with new state law and the Florida Building Code, removing a 5‑year cumulative substantial‑improvement lookback and updating technical references.
The Dunedin City Commission on Oct. 9 voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance 25‑07, an amendment to the city’s floodplain management regulations that brings local code into compliance with a July 1 state law change (Senate Bill 180) and the Florida Building Code.
The ordinance removes the five‑year cumulative “lookback” used to tally prior improvements when determining whether a building meets the federal/substantial‑improvement threshold and cleans up technical code references to the Florida Building Code. Joseph DePasco, the city’s floodplain administrator, told the commission the city has already applied the new standard operationally since July 1 and the ordinance is a housekeeping step to codify that practice.
Commissioners asked for clarification on market‑value definitions used to calculate substantial improvement and substantial damage; DePasco confirmed market value for that purpose is the building value (land excluded) immediately prior to improvement or damage (for example, the day before a storm). Staff and a student commenter also explained the city must adopt these amendments to remain in good standing with the National Flood Insurance Program and to preserve residents’ access to federal flood insurance.
Student Elena Matida, a public‑administration student who met with staff and reviewed the materials, summarized the state change: “In other words, cities are no longer allowed to track and add up the cost of building repairs or improvements over several years to decide if a property counts as substantially improved.” The city will continue local flood‑safety standards such as enforcing the 1‑foot freeboard above base flood elevation where required by the Florida Building Code.
Ordinance 25‑07 passed on a unanimous roll‑call vote. The motion was made by Commissioner Walker and seconded by Vice Mayor Gao.
