Commissioners deny contested PD rezoning in Placida after extensive public opposition and expert testimony

The Board of County Commissioners on March 25 denied a proposed planned‑development rezoning (PD‑25‑12) that would have allowed 27 additional multifamily units on a roughly 9‑acre site in the Placida/Capepay area, after extensive testimony from neighbors and subject‑matter experts raised questions about wetlands, drainage, storm surge vulnerability and traffic.

The application sought to move from RMF‑12 to a PD allowing up to 135 units (12→15 units per acre with transferred density). Staff and the applicant presented technical material including a storm‑surge (SLOSH) analysis and a traffic report. The applicant’s attorney said the existing zoning allowed 108 units to be built now and that the PD would raise finished‑floor elevations voluntarily to improve resilience. "The 108 units can be built today without question, and they will be built at 10 foot elevation," attorney Rob Bernsen said; he added that the 135‑unit PD would be elevated to 13.1 feet.

Opponents — many of whom live across narrow peninsulas and adjacent to sensitive wetlands and Amberjack Preserve — argued the site contains tidal‑influenced wetlands and that increased impervious area and higher fill would increase runoff into Coral Creek and Gasparilla Sound. Environmental consultants for neighbors and residents warned that Brazilian‑pepper vegetation does not negate wetland status and urged stricter pre‑approval review. Longtime residents described storm surge experienced in recent storms and said local evacuation routes and infrastructure remain limited. After rebuttals and commissioner debate, the board voted to deny the rezoning 3–2 (motion passed: Commissioners Constance, Deutsch and Chair voting to deny; Commissioners Truex and Doherty opposed). The denial preserves the property's current maximum by‑right density of 108 units.