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Planning board finds ordinance consistent as staff moves to modernize building-certification options
Summary
City staff told the St. Pete Beach Planning Board it is updating CHAP Sec. 39.9 to replace discontinued and outdated certification requirements, add current options such as Energy Star and Florida Water Star, and reduce burdens on detached single-family redevelopment; the board voted to find the ordinance consistent with the comprehensive plan and recommended it to the city commission.
The St. Pete Beach Planning Board, sitting as the Local Planning Agency, voted to find ordinance 2026-15 consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan and recommended the measure to the city commission after a staff presentation on modernizing energy and environmental development standards.
Brandon, a city staff presenter, said the changes update CHAP Sec. 39.9 to reflect certifications that have emerged or changed since the code’s 2008 adoption. “The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has discontinued its Florida Green Lodging program,” he said, and staff is proposing a broader set of recognized standards, including LEED, the Florida Green Building Coalition updates, Florida Water Star, Green Globes, EPA Indoor Air Plus (residential), and Energy Star homes as possible options.
Staff told the board the ordinance keeps an overarching requirement that projects satisfy two environmental/energy standards but would allow different combinations and would reduce the compliance burden on detached single‑family redevelopment. Brandon said the intent is to avoid imposing costly registration and review requirements on single‑lot redevelopments that were not designed to achieve more intensive certifications. “We are reducing the standards and the requirements for detached single family homes,” he said, while continuing higher standards for subdivisions and higher‑intensity projects that require conditional‑use permits.
Board members asked whether the code change would conflict with the comprehensive plan. Brandon clarified that removing a plan-level requirement would require a comprehensive‑plan amendment, but that staff can update the land‑development code’s accepted certification options without amending the plan. He also described the city’s verification: staff require certification verification by the time of site‑plan approval or the first major vertical‑construction permit rather than an ongoing third‑party audit after occupancy.
Members raised coastal and wildlife concerns as well. Brandon noted the state model sea‑turtle lighting ordinance is more restrictive than the city’s current lighting code; the city already requires turtle‑friendly fixtures on beachfront developments but cannot automatically adopt the state model without changing local code. He used Miramar and Tradewinds as examples of projects that had chosen turtle‑lighting measures as part of their certification packages.
A board member moved to find the ordinance consistent; the motion was seconded and roll‑call affirmative responses followed. Staff will forward the ordinance and the board’s recommendation to the city commission for final action.
What’s next: The city commission will consider the ordinance in a future hearing; staff said it will return with any proposed code language and supporting details for the commission’s review.
