All development, including man-made changes to improved or unimproved
real estate for which specific provisions are not specified in this
chapter or the Florida Building Code, shall:
A. Be located and constructed to minimize flood damage;
B. Be anchored to prevent flotation, collapse or lateral movement resulting
from hydrostatic loads, including the effects of buoyancy, during
conditions of the design flood;
C. Be constructed of flood-damage-resistant materials; and
D. Have mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems above the design
flood elevation, except that minimum electric service required to
address life safety and electric code requirements is permitted below
the design flood elevation, provided it conforms to the provisions
of the electrical part of building code for wet locations.
In coastal high-hazard areas, concrete slabs used as parking
pads, enclosure floors, landings, decks, walkways, patios and similar
nonstructural uses are permitted beneath or adjacent to buildings
and structures, provided the concrete slabs are designed and constructed
to:
A. Be structurally independent of the foundation system of the building
or structure;
B. Be frangible and not reinforced, so as to minimize debris during
flooding that is capable of causing significant damage to any structure;
and
C. Have a maximum slab thickness of not more than four inches.
In addition to the requirements of the Florida Building Code,
in coastal high-hazard areas, decks and patios shall be located, designed,
and constructed in compliance with the following:
A. A deck that is structurally attached to a building or structure shall
have the bottom of the lowest horizontal structural member at or above
the design flood elevation, and any supporting members that extend
below the design flood elevation shall comply with the foundation
requirements that apply to the building or structure, which shall
be designed to accommodate any increased loads resulting from the
attached deck.
B. A deck or patio that is located below the design flood elevation
shall be structurally independent from buildings or structures and
their foundation systems and shall be designed and constructed either
to remain intact and in place during design flood conditions or to
break apart into small pieces to minimize debris during flooding that
is capable of causing structural damage to the building or structure
or to adjacent buildings and structures.
C. A deck or patio that has a vertical thickness of more than 12 inches
or that is constructed with more than the minimum amount of fill necessary
for site drainage shall not be approved unless an analysis prepared
by a qualified registered design professional demonstrates no harmful
diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and wave reflection that would
increase damage to the building or structure or to adjacent buildings
and structures.
D. A deck or patio that has a vertical thickness of 12 inches or less
and that is at natural grade or on nonstructural fill material that
is similar to and compatible with local soils and is the minimum amount
necessary for site drainage may be approved without requiring analysis
of the impact on diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and wave reflection.
In coastal high-hazard areas, development activities other than
buildings and structures shall be permitted only if also authorized
by the appropriate federal, state or local authority; if located outside
the footprint of, and not structurally attached to, buildings and
structures; and if analyses prepared by qualified registered design
professionals demonstrate no harmful diversion of floodwaters or wave
runup and wave reflection that would increase damage to adjacent buildings
and structures. Such other development activities include but are
not limited to:
A. Bulkheads, seawalls, retaining walls, revetments, and similar erosion
control structures;
B. Solid fences and privacy walls, and fences prone to trapping debris,
unless designed and constructed to fail under flood conditions less
than the design flood or otherwise function to avoid obstruction of
floodwaters; and
C. On-site sewage treatment and disposal systems defined in 64E-6.002,
F.A.C., as filled systems or mound systems.
In coastal high-hazard areas:
A. Minor grading and the placement of minor quantities of nonstructural
fill shall be permitted for landscaping and for drainage purposes
under and around buildings.
B. Nonstructural fill with finished slopes that are steeper than one
unit vertical to five units horizontal shall be permitted only if
an analysis prepared by a qualified registered design professional
demonstrates no harmful diversion of floodwaters or wave runup and
wave reflection that would increase damage to buildings and structures.
C. Where authorized by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection
or applicable local approval, sand dune construction and restoration
of sand dunes under or around elevated buildings are permitted without
additional engineering analysis or certification of the diversion
of floodwater or wave runup and wave reflection, if the scale and
location of the dune work is consistent with local beach dune morphology,
and the vertical clearance is maintained between the top of the sand
dune and the lowest horizontal structural member of the building.
[Added 7-1-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-03]
Accessory structures are permitted below the base flood elevation,
provided the accessory structures are used only for parking or storage
and:
A. If located
in special flood hazard areas (Zone A/AE) other than coastal high
hazard areas, are one story and not larger than 600 square feet and
have flood openings in accordance with Section R322.2 of the Florida
Building Code, Residential.
B. If located
in coastal high hazard areas (Zone V/VE), are not located below elevated
buildings and are not larger than 100 square feet.
C. Are anchored
to resist flotation, collapse or lateral movement resulting from flood
loads.
D. Have flood-damage-resistant
materials used below the base flood elevation plus two feet.
E. Have mechanical,
plumbing and electrical systems, including plumbing fixtures, elevated
to or above the base flood elevation plus two feet.