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St. Augustine Beach delays substantive charter change on building-height exceptions after heated debate
Summary
The commission approved housekeeping amendments to the city charter but paused a substantive charter amendment that would remove certain exceptions (parapets, elevator shafts, rooftop equipment) from residential exemptions, amid concern that shifting the language by ordinance could be misread as changing the 35-foot building limit.
The City of St. Augustine Beach commission advanced housekeeping charter edits but put a substantive charter change on hold after a lengthy debate over how the city measures building height.
City Attorney Brian Law presented two charter-related ordinances. One (O-2026-01) contains grammar, spelling, gender-neutral language, and minor clarifications. The other (O-2026-04) seeks to delete older charter language that lists structure elements (residential elevator shafts, parapets, tanks, mechanical equipment, and similar items) so that development-specific details would be regulated in the land development regulations instead of the charter.
Law showed an illustration of a recently completed residential project that, he said, exposed an…
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