Floodplain ordinance edits on coastal construction and damage valuation sent back for more work

Rebecca Flynn (introduced as working with the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s state flood plan office) reviewed proposed edits to the city’s floodplain ordinance. She explained a new coastal-zone (limwa) mapping and recommended treating coastal-A areas with construction standards similar to VE (velocity) zones — for example, requiring pilings or breakaway walls instead of backfill stem‑wall foundations in those areas.

Flynn also described proposed changes to the definition of “market value” and the city’s use of actual cash value (ACV) as the basis for calculating the 50% substantial-damage threshold. “The ACV is the value to rebuild the structure, plus depreciation,” she said, and noted the Florida Department of Emergency Management has encouraged communities to use ACV to reduce subjectivity. Several council members asked for clearer illustrations, a depreciation example, and confirmation about how the change would affect older houses built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Council members did not reach consensus at this meeting. Concerns included whether the code should eliminate references to floodways that do not apply locally, how coastal‑A construction requirements would be enforced, and how replacing the market-value approach with ACV would change substantial-damage calculations. The item was returned to staff (Kyle) and the consultant (Rebecca Quinn/Flynn) for further review and clarification before returning to the council.