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Board of Adjustment approves 2.6-foot front-setback variance for 507 Harbor Drive in Belleair Beach
Summary
The Belleair Beach Board of Adjustment voted unanimously March 25 to grant a 2.6-foot reduction to the front setback at 507 Harbor Drive to allow a cantilevered second floor required by FEMA flood-elevation design, after staff and the applicant described hurricane damage, functional need for the space and neighbor signoffs.
The Belleair Beach Board of Adjustment on March 25 approved a request to reduce the front setback at 507 Harbor Drive from 25 feet to 22.4 feet, allowing a 2.6-foot cantilever on the property’s elevated second floor.
City manager Kyle Riefler told the board the applicant submitted a revised site plan since the last hearing and the new request shifts encroachment from a rear projection to a limited second-floor cantilever toward the front of the lot. "We received these plans and in designing it they realized that the encroachment was going to be less," Riefler said during the staff report.
The variance application was presented by attorney Brian Armstrong on behalf of the property owners, who purchased the 1950-built house in July 2024 and reported it was substantially damaged by recent hurricanes. Armstrong said FEMA elevation requirements and the addition of stairs and an elevator for an elevated home necessitated moving the first occupiable level forward by about 2.6 feet to provide functional space for a shower and laundry. "It is a necessary space to have the full benefit of their living space, including the additional elements required by FEMA regarding the elevator and the stairwells," Armstrong said.
Armstrong also told the board that several adjacent property owners reviewed the updated plans and voiced no objections, and he cited nearby municipalities that permit limited aerial encroachments for elevated homes.
During brief board questioning, Chair Mike Kelly stressed the encroachment affects the second-floor cantilever and not the first-floor footprint; the applicant confirmed the lower floor remains largely compliant with the 25-foot setback. A person identified only as the property owner thanked the board and neighbors for their guidance and noted this was the homeowner’s first time pursuing a variance.
The board then worked through the seven statutory variance criteria required by the city code. For each criterion—unique circumstances of the lot and structure, minimal relief needed for reasonable use, no special privilege conferred, no change in use, willingness to accept reasonable conditions and time limits, compliance with relevant code chapters, and consistency with the city strategic plan—members recorded affirmative findings.
Board member "Mister Gatluf" moved to approve the variance; following a second, the clerk conducted a roll-call vote. The recorded votes were: Miss Connery — Yes; Mister Gatluf — Yes; Mister Dixon — Yes; Mister Wiziwati — Yes; Miss Goldman — Yes; Mister Kelly — Yes. The motion carried unanimously and the variance was approved.
The board offered the applicants congratulations and closed the agenda after noting there were no imminent variance applications pending. The meeting was then adjourned.
Next steps: the approval grants the variance as described at the hearing; the transcript did not specify any additional conditions, time limits or required follow-up staff reports beyond the standard permitting process.
