Allowed freeboard height would increase under Longboat Key ordinance
Maintain the status quo, or give property owners more flexibility when it comes to freeboard? That was one of the Longboat Key Town Commission’s main topics at the March 4 regular meeting.
After analyzing new base flood elevation maps put out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, town staff with the Planning, Zoning and Building Department worked with Planning and Zoning Board members to draft an ordinance related to freeboard height.
Planning and Zoning Board members also pushed a little further than the original recommendation, according to Director of Planning, Zoning and Building Allen Parsons. The board’s recommendation to go beyond the status quo led to some discussion among town commissioners.
On March 4, Parsons presented to commissioners the proposal for allowing for an additional 2 feet of freeboard on top of the already-required foot of freeboard.
The new FEMA flood control maps for Sarasota County are still pending until March 27, but the maps enact a general decrease of about 2 feet for base flood elevation recommendations.
What is "freeboard"?
