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Commission backs countywide three‑foot voluntary freeboard and UDC changes to daylight plane
Summary
After months of workshops, Sarasota commissioners directed staff to draft UDC amendments allowing up to three feet of voluntary freeboard above required design flood elevation, to adjust daylight‑plane height measurement, and to align county definitions with FEMA; commissioners limited the change to exclude state conservation district (CCCL) areas on parts of Casey and Manasota Key.
Planning staff returned July 8 with options to allow an additional three feet of voluntary freeboard above the State minimum and to clarify how daylight plane and height are measured in flood‑prone zones.
Michelle Norton, Planning and Development Services, explained the proposal would require a UDC amendment to define freeboard, adapt daylight‑plane measurement and add a new definition for “destruction” so FEMA-related 50% rules and county nonconformity rules align. Staff noted that the City of Sarasota already offers an optional three‑foot freeboard in parts of its jurisdiction and that freeboard additions can reduce flood‑insurance premiums.
Commissioners debated geographic scope and which property types should be eligible. The board directed staff to prepare an amendment that: allows up to three feet of additional voluntary freeboard countywide in the Special Flood Hazard Area, clarifies measurement in the daylight plane and height sections of the UDC, caps allocation of the optional freeboard toward height at three feet, aligns county definitions with FEMA guidance, and excludes state conservation district (CCCL) portions of Casey Key and Manasota Key from the optional height increase. The motion passed unanimously.
Staff will draft UDC language and return the changes to the planning commission before final adoption.
