Development director outlines trade-offs of stem walls, pilings and fill as committee considers charter changes

Bridal Solstice, Edgewater’s development services director, told the Charter Review Committee that common flood-resistant foundations — open and closed stem walls, pilings (stilt homes) and monolithic slabs — each carry distinct trade-offs he said the city should weigh before locking requirements into the charter.

Solstice walked the committee through examples and images and said stem-wall or stilt construction is common in coastal FEMA zones and can protect the principal living area even when garages or cars flood. “A stem wall can easily add $25,000 onto the price of a home,” he said, and noted elevations that require about six blocks of height translate into roughly eight to 10 stoop steps for many homes.

Why it matters: the committee is considering charter language that could compel new construction to meet specific foundation standards. Solstice warned that placing those technical rules in a charter — rather than in ordinances that can be updated — could reduce flexibility and raise costs for both private and public projects.

He told the committee the city’s stormwater master plan envisions large-scale work — including a proposed, long-range 100‑acre lake — and estimated the excavation could produce roughly 26,000,000 cubic feet of fill that raises practical questions about disposal or sale. He also cited local affordability tensions: staff noted a gap between what many families can afford and current new-home prices in Edgewater, saying the median household income for a family of four is about $54,000 while a new-build price is about $349,000.

Committee members pressed Solstice on enforcement and the code’s treatment of rebuilds. Solstice said the land-development code typically requires a rebuilt structure that is more than 50% damaged to be brought into conformance, which would trigger any new requirements for those properties.

Public commenters offered mixed responses. Kim Wong, a Florida Shores resident, said elevated houses spared living space in past floods and urged the committee to push for stem walls in charter language so “when you come back, your house isn’t flooded.” Ken Cardesano, who has observed raised mobile homes in nearby parks, said vehicle damage is usually insured and warned that embedding highly prescriptive rules into the charter can unfairly burden small property owners and businesses.

Several residents urged native-plant requirements and stronger park protections. Denise Dale, who identified herself as a longtime local native-plant advocate, asked the committee to require a high percentage of native landscaping in new construction; Karen Walter, a member of the Florida Native Plant Society, recommended gradual implementation and public education.

What the record shows: staff repeatedly recommended using charter language for goals and rely on enabling ordinances for technical standards and lists (for example, a native-plant list defined by ordinance rather than locked into the charter), both to preserve flexibility and to reduce legal risk from state or constitutional conflicts.

Next steps: City staff will prepare revised ordinance language and ballot summaries where the committee requested them; the committee sent several related questions to the City Council for placement on the ballot so voters can decide the scope and specifics.