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Atlantic Beach council adopts freeboard requirement to protect flood-insurance discounts
Summary
The Atlantic Beach Town Council unanimously approved Ordinance 24-03-01 to add a freeboard requirement to the town's Unified Development Ordinance, a change aimed at preserving Community Rating System insurance discounts and aligning local rules with FEMA guidance.
The Atlantic Beach Town Council unanimously adopted Ordinance 24-03-01 on March 25, 2024, adding a freeboard requirement to the town's Unified Development Ordinance to align local floodplain rules with FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) expectations.
Planning Director Jennifer Ansell explained that the town will undergo a CRS five-year verification visit this summer and that FEMA revised its CRS Manual in 2021. She said the manual now requires residential structures, multi-family buildings, manufactured homes and machinery/equipment to be elevated by at least one foot above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) to maintain a Class 8 rating. "The BFE plus freeboard represents the Regulatory Flood Protection Elevation," Ansell said, summarizing the technical change the ordinance would codify.
Council members raised procedural questions and then voted. Councilmember Renea Baker moved to approve the ordinance; Councilmember Joey Dean seconded. The ordinance passed unanimously, 5-0. The minutes record that council members said adopting a freeboard requirement was reasonable and in the public interest and that it would avoid a likely downgrade from CRS Class 8 (a 10% policy discount) to Class 9 (a 5% discount) if no freeboard were required.
Jennifer Ansell also told the council that revised preliminary flood map panels were issued in July 2021 and that the town is awaiting FEMA's Letter of Final Determination, which typically sets an effective date about six months after issuance. The ordinance amends Chapter 18, Article 10 of the Unified Development Ordinance to add the freeboard definitions and measurement rules referenced in the motion.
The council did not attach an implementation schedule in the meeting record; staff will coordinate next steps as FEMA finalizes map dates. The council approved the ordinance as a formal adoption at the March 25 meeting.
