Vero Beach Council directs staff to codify five‑year cumulative substantial improvement rule and request broader floodplain study

The Vero Beach City Council on a consensus basis directed staff to draft a codified cumulative substantial improvement (SISD) ordinance using a five‑year lookback for flood‑zone properties and to commission a consultant to analyze additional steps the city could take to improve its Community Rating System (CRS) classification under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

Council member John Carroll, who introduced the item, said the city has been applying a 60‑month cumulative approach on a policy basis but that the practice is not written into local code. “Everything should be in writing so that the public knows what kind of requirements that they’re being held to,” Carroll said, noting the issue gained urgency after a recent tornado and that many Florida municipalities already codify the rule.

Jason Jeffries, speaking for city staff, framed the item as tied to Vero Beach’s participation in the NFIP and the city’s CRS classification. “This is about our participation in the National Flood Insurance Program,” Jeffries said, and he explained that adopting a formal…