CLEARWATER, Fla. — Some communities try to stay the same: maintaining dated buildings like motels, old shops and establishments that make it special to those who live there. But with the passing of the Resiliency and Safe Structure Act, it could become harder to do.
St. Petersburg Rep. Lindsay Cross argued against the measure on the State House floor and does not support the new regulations.
“I think our state government preempt too many local governments,” she said.
The law prohibits local governments from blocking or restricting the demolition of buildings that are within the coastal construction control line. It includes structures that do not conform to the flood elevation requirements set by the National Flood Insurance Program if it’s deemed unsafe by local officials or ordered to be torn down.
It makes it easier for developers to raze coastal buildings and replace them with as large of a structure as allowed by local zoning laws. The law applies to municipalities with populations greater than 10,000. Cities like Clearwater could be impacted. A small town like Redington Beach would not.
Cross worries small buildings will make way for huge structures.
“There’s a lot of beach communities that are trying to limit new development. Part of the reason is because some of the road and the infrastructure were built in the ‘50s – ‘60s. They are really not equipped to have tens of thousands of people on there. It makes hurricane evacuation more difficult and could impact human life,” she said.
The bill’s sponsors point to the Surfside condo collapse as the reason behind this legislation, saying it allows property owners more freedom from local historic preservation boards and local officials.
Developers like Tony Tanner, who work in Clearwater, say it could be a positive.
“If it’s just a normal routine where the building is actually in a condition in which it could be condemned and demolished, then this bill allows it to go through quickly where other groups like, for example, historical groups, can’t then stop it and block it,” he said.
Cross said she feels this could create more issues than solutions — that huge structures may be built without locals having a say.
“We are telling communities that you should be planning for worst-case scenarios, making sure that you are looking at where infrastructure and people should be located — things like hospitals and businesses,” she said. “And if you are doing that, and at the same time, limiting local government’s ability to mitigate, for some of those impacts by putting a cap on the height or size of the building, you know those things are contrary to each other.”
The bill is new, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in late March. Both the long-term and short-term effects are yet to be determined.
Jeff Van Sant
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