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Ocala commission approves floodplain code change to pursue higher CRS rating
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a code amendment that prohibits enclosures beneath elevated structures over 4 feet in flood hazard areas to help the city move from CRS Class 3 to Class 2 and increase flood-insurance discounts for residents.
The City of Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission on the evening of the meeting approved an amendment to Section 90 of the city’s floodplain ordinance to prohibit enclosures beneath elevated structures in flood hazard areas.
City Engineer Sean Lanier told the commission the change is intended to help Ocala earn additional points in the National Flood Insurance Program’s Community Rating System (CRS). "We currently have a CRS class 3," Lanier said, "and we're going through a reverification every 3 years. As part of that, we'd like to see if we can move up to class 2." He said moving to class 2 would increase the flood-insurance discount for residents and that prohibiting enclosures under elevated structures is worth about 160 CRS points toward the roughly 450 points needed to move up a class.
Lanier explained the specific amendment affects section 90-20 (building and structures portion of the floodplain ordinance) and that the addition labeled section D bars enclosed spaces beneath elevated buildings where the first floor is more than 4 feet above grade. He said recent permitting records show new residential construction in flood hazard areas over the last 10 years has been slab-on-grade, so the change is unlikely to affect many current construction patterns but would still deliver a large CRS benefit if approved.
Commissioners asked whether the restriction applied only to pile-and-beam (post) construction and whether past buildings would be grandfathered. Lanier answered it applies to elevated structures with enclosed space beneath and that existing development would be grandfathered: "This is just a new construction since the order. Everything that's in the past is grandfathered in." He added that the 4-foot threshold excludes many local post-and-beam houses that have 2–3 feet of crawl space.
With no public comments, the commission voted to approve the ordinance amendment. The commission’s recommendation will be transmitted to city council as provided on the agenda.
The amendment is filed on the meeting agenda as Ordinance 2025-XX and references Section 90 of the City of Ocala floodplain code.
