Board of Appeals approves driveway variance for 21513 Avenue South

The City of Safety Harbor Board of Appeals approved Variance 2024-36 on Jan. 8, 2025, permitting a driveway apron at 21513 Avenue South to be 8 feet wide and to sit 2 feet from the neighboring property line rather than meeting the city code minimums of 10 feet width and a 3-foot setback.

The variance was requested by property owners Robert and Melinda Slaughter after the house and driveway were built to Pinellas County standards and the applicants later began an annexation into the city. Miss Chin, city staff who presented the item, told the board, "The staff recommends approval of this variance." Cecilia, city staff handling the annexation, said the annexation application was filed after the county building permit was approved and described the resulting conflict between county and city standards.

Nut graf: The board’s action resolves a code conflict that arose when the Slaughters’ single-family house was constructed under Pinellas County rules and later moved into Safety Harbor jurisdiction through an annexation application. Approval makes the portion of the driveway within the city right-of-way a legal nonconforming condition after annexation, allowing the homeowners to keep the existing apron.

Board discussion focused on technical and neighborhood impacts. Staff told the board the property sits outside the community redevelopment district within single-family residential uses and that public works found no utilities or storm sewers in the right-of-way at the apron location. Cecilia said the private portion of the driveway remains under Pinellas County jurisdiction and that only the narrow city right-of-way segment required city approval. There were no written objections or public commenters recorded opposing the variance; a neighbor, Bob Swad, spoke in support and confirmed the driveway location had been unchanged since the Slaughters purchased the property in February 2022.

Applicant Robert Slaughter told the board the house was about 80% complete when the county-approved driveway was poured and described the practical hardship of moving the driveway at that stage: "This is probably a real hardship because if we move that driveway, I won't be able to get in the garage," he said. Staff confirmed the proposed apron is 8 feet wide and about 2 feet from the property line, short of the 3-foot setback required by the Safety Harbor Comprehensive Zoning and Land Development Code section 149.00(d).

The board approved the motion to grant Variance 2024-36 without a recorded roll call; the chair called for ayes, heard no opposition and declared the motion carried. The approval authorizes the two requested variances for the portion of the driveway within the city right-of-way: reducing required width from 10 feet to 8 feet and allowing the apron to be within 3 feet of the extended north property line (measured at about 2 feet in this case). The decision was described in the hearing as limited to the city right-of-way segment and does not change the status of work performed under Pinellas County jurisdiction on private property.

Ending: With the motion carried, staff and the applicants indicated the annexation process may proceed and the city will treat the approved right-of-way apron as a legal nonconforming condition once annexation is finalized. No further public hearings or appeals were recorded in the meeting minutes for this item.