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Commissioners approve design change to elevate Causeway Islands restrooms after FEMA requirement
Summary
Lee County approved a design change order to elevate four restroom buildings on the Causeway Islands after FEMA inspectors required elevation as a condition of FEMA funding; staff said the change raises design costs and requires structural redesign and ramp adjustments.
Lee County commissioners approved a change order March 17 to redesign and elevate four restroom buildings on the Causeway Islands after FEMA review determined elevated structures are required for FEMA participation on two of the bathrooms.
County project staff said FEMA notified the county by email in October 2025 that the restrooms would need to be elevated for FEMA to fund them. Mr. Salard, who presented the item, told the board the original scope used breakaway walls at grade but FEMA’s inspectors — after multiple site visits — required elevation so the county revised the design to improve resilience and meet FEMA requirements.
Facilities construction management staff, identified only as Ehab in the record, said the county and its engineering consultant negotiated with FEMA and that elevating the restrooms means the finished floor will be set to elevation 14 (approximately 2 feet above the flood elevation). He explained that replacing grade-level restrooms with elevated structures will require a full structural redesign and may change ramp layouts, septic field locations and other site details even though the buildings’ floor plans and outward appearance will be similar.
Commissioners questioned the magnitude of the change-order cost (about a 25% increase to the design contract) and sought assurance the county was maximizing procurement value; staff explained FEMA funding covers two of the bathrooms and the county will match for the other two to maintain consistency and resilience across sites.
Staff said the elevation will allow people to walk under the buildings at some locations and that elevated designs increase resilience to future storm events. The board approved the design change order and authorized staff to proceed with the revised designs.
The change order will be incorporated into contract documents and staff said they would continue negotiating with the engineering firm to control costs and expedite final design and permitting.
