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Destin council asks staff to return with options on two‑foot freeboard and FEMA insurance tradeoffs
Summary
Property owners urged the City of Destin to reduce the locally required two‑foot freeboard; council directed staff to return with options that would protect the city's Community Rating System (CRS) score or allow property-level opt-outs. The motion passed unanimously.
Chatham Morgan, a Calhoun Avenue property owner, told the City Council that the City of Destin's locally required two‑foot freeboard (one foot above Florida building code plus one foot the city added) is an excessive limit that is harming property rights and adding substantial build costs for new houses. "I'm asking you to change those codes tonight," Morgan said, explaining his house sits at about 9.5 feet and that the extra elevation requirement would force new construction to build several feet higher.
City staff explained the trade-offs the requirement produces for the community. Staff said the two‑foot freeboard was adopted in…
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