Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Sarasota commissioners direct staff to study voluntary freeboard after storms; motion passes unanimously
Summary
The Sarasota County Commission voted unanimously to direct staff to study a policy allowing voluntary freeboard above the Florida Building Code (1 foot required + 3 feet voluntary = BFE+4 ft) and report back in about 60 days on applicability, impact fees and insurance implications.
Sarasota County commissioners voted unanimously to direct staff to prepare a 60‑day report evaluating a policy that would allow property owners to build voluntarily to BFE (base flood elevation) plus an additional 3 feet of freeboard on top of the 1 foot already required by the Florida Building Code — effectively BFE plus 4 feet — and to recommend implementing UDC (Unified Development Code) language so that that voluntary freeboard would not be counted against height or daylight‑plane limits.
The motion, made by Commissioner Kutzinger and seconded by Commissioner Smith, passed after staff presented research showing recent FEMA map changes had…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
