Emergency ordinance directed at rebuild

Nov. 29--Hoping to smooth some of the wrinkles that will come with rebuilding after Hurricane Michael, the Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday approved an emergency ordinance addressing flood maps.

In brief, commissioners approved adopting the preliminary flood maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with a requirement that property owners build at least two feet above their property's base flood elevation.

The ordinance is short-term, said County Administrator Michael Hammond, and aimed primarily at those who will be building, or in far too many cases rebuilding, in the sixth months.

"This is only for people who want to build permit in the next six months to a year," Hammond said.

Hammond said the county had operated for more than two decades with homeowners having the ability to build below base elevation, as determined by flood insurance charts.

The board approved staff's recommendation of two feet, though Dr. Pat Hardman of the Coastal Community Association of Gulf County urged leaving it at one foot over base elevation.

Hammond said the county hoped the city of Port St. Joe would follow the county's lead, adding that many communities have stopped issuing building permits altogether in the wake of the storm.

The move would not impact insurance rates; any impacts will come only after approval of the final FEMA flood maps, Hammond added.

Further, it could be almost a moot issue as it pertains to rebuilding: far more crucial to rebuilding, said building department head Lee Collinsworth, would be whether or not damage to a structure was deemed 51 percent of the assessed value or greater.

At the 50 percent or less, structures would be grandfathered in under existing rules.

At 51 percent or more, a structure would have to meet new final flood map requirements, meaning "one or two feet may not make much of a difference."

Hammond added that adopting the preliminary FEMA maps as currently crafted would not bring "that much change."

"What we don't want is people building below the base flood," Hammond said, adding the county can always revisit and dial back requirements.

County attorney Jeremy Novak said the emergency ordinance would be followed by consideration of a final ordinance, including notice, advertising and public hearing.

The county has been wrestling with the preliminary flood maps for nearly two years and had recently debated a new line of address.

That would be to move forward with adopting final maps for the north end of the county as a whole while continuing, with the Northwest Florida Water Management District leading the way, with more precise mapping of the south end.

The rationale was that many property owners inland from the coast were improperly classified under existing flood maps, which would have significant bearing on insurance costs.

Adoption of final maps is likely 12-18 months away, Hammond noted.

Hurricane Michael rendered prior discussions almost beside the point, matters to be addressed down the road.

"We think this is a prudent course of action in the short term," said Brett Cyphers, Executive Director of the NWFWMD. "You have expressed interest in moving on with rebuilding your lives and this is a prudent way to go.

"We do not want to slow down people that want to build."

The agency will continue its mapping, Cyphers added, including mapping of water inundation during Hurricane Michael, which he characterized as a 500-year event.

The maps, he added, would likely be completed the end of the calendar year.

The impacts of the final maps, he added, would also not be as severe as envisioned in the aftermath of Michael.

"The maps coming out will not be as bad as what happened," Cyphers said.

Building permits up

According to building officials Brad Bailey, the department has issued over 200 permits since the storm and sees roughly 100 people per day.

Department staff has performed more than 3,000 inspections on the south end of the county.

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