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Board approves Siesta Towers coastal setback variance; asks staff to study faster seawall permitting and fee relief after storm damage concerns
Summary
The commission granted a variance to allow a new seawall/revetment at Siesta Towers, heard testimony about delays homeowners face during hurricane season, and unanimously directed staff to return with options to expedite repairs and consider temporary fee waivers for storm-damaged shore protection work.
Sarasota County commissioners voted June 4 to adopt a coastal setback variance for Siesta Towers to install a new seawall and rearmor the revetment, and they directed staff to study ways to speed permitting and to consider temporary fee relief after hearing that damaged seawalls leave homeowners exposed during hurricane season.
Kat Massey of J. Foster Consulting presented the applicant team’s engineering scope for a 193.9-linear-foot seawall landward of the existing wall and associated revetment work. Land-use attorney Matt Brockway, representing affected property owners, described multiple damaged seawalls along the southern shore and said the current coastal-variance timeline can leave owners exposed through hurricane season: “These property owners are exposed for much of the hurricane season, if not the entire hurricane season,” Brockway said, summarizing the practical urgency.
Howard Berna, manager of environmental permitting, explained the county’s two emergency tracks—class 1 (staff-administered repairs) and class 2 (temporary shore support)—and said a staff-administered Water and Navigation Control Authority (WNCA) general permit can authorize like-for-like repairs with a roughly ten-day review. He also noted that proposed additional hardening or a new wall behind an existing wall usually requires full variance review.
Following public comment and staff explanation, the board approved the Siesta Towers variance and then unanimously approved a board assignment directing staff to return with proposed language and options to expedite emergency seawall permitting and to consider temporarily suspending or reducing fees in qualifying storm-related cases.
Next steps: environmental permitting staff will draft proposed code or policy changes (including potential fee-suspension language), develop criteria for qualifying storm-related exemptions, and return to the board with options.
