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Planning board presses for resiliency priorities, code fixes to allow elevation and fill as Treasure Island shifts policy
Summary
Board members urged staff and the City Commission to prioritize resiliency and to consider voluntary code changes that would let homeowners elevate properties or add fill; members cited Treasure Island's new voluntary elevation approach and asked staff to work with the commission and technical experts.
A planning‑board discussion on June 16 focused on local code provisions the board said are limiting residents’ ability to rebuild or improve resilience after recent hurricanes. Board members urged staff to prioritize code updates and to prepare voluntary measures the commission could adopt while Senate Bill 180 constrains mandatory changes.
A board member said Treasure Island recently shifted to allow voluntary elevation using fill material after previously restricting fill, and urged St. Pete Beach staff and commissioners to study that approach. The same member described cases where homeowners rebuilding after storm damage face code limits that keep finished floors and garages near tide levels and said current rules could leave properties repeatedly flooded during king tides.
Staff and other board members discussed the tradeoffs governing elevation and fill: concerns about runoff to neighbors, the historical origin of the anti‑fill rule, and the availability of the city’s variance process. City staff suggested the planning board could work with staff experts to craft voluntary approaches—focusing on drainage, swales, and construction techniques—to encourage resilient rebuilding without violating SB 180.
Board members proposed preparing a prioritized list of code updates and voluntary measures to present to commissioners at upcoming retreats; staff said it will review specific code sections that limit elevation and consider whether changes can be framed as voluntary guidance or technical solutions. No formal code amendments were adopted at the meeting.
