850 s.f. - SRIA limits size of enclosures below flood level
BY LISA NEWELL Gulf Breeze News lisa@gulfbreezenews.com

Lisa Newell/Gulf Breeze News A flock of pelicans Pelicans take wing in the V formation over Fort McRee Sunday morning in advance of an approaching thunderstorm. A front brought cooler temperatures to the area this week.

The debate about whether to limit the square footage below the base flood level came to a halt at the Santa Rosa Island Authority's September board meeting when members voted to limit enclosure space to 850 square feet.

Debbie Norton, staff member at SRIA said the Federal Emergency Management Administration recommended limited the amount of debris stored under homes because it contributes to the cleanup after a storm and causes damage to other structures.

Norton told the SRIA at an earlier meeting that once a resident encloses an area below the base flood level, they begin to accumulate items, even converting the space into a living area with drywall, bathrooms, kitchens and other items that are prohibited.

At that stage, it's almost impossible for Island Authority staffers to monitor what's being done with enclosures below the base flood level.

Norton said the recommendation was voluntary at this stage. However, in the future, insurance rates may take into consideration the size of enclosures below the base flood level.

Dan Green headed up a committee to research the proposed size limitation, and the committee voted to recommend no such limitation on size.

Green said the committee decided to pursue a plan with an incremental sacrificial wall so that in the event of a storm surge, hydraulics would keep the wall from breaking away.

The dissenting member of the committee, Scott Holland, said the problem goes back to limited the size of the enclosure.

"The larger the enclosure, the more stuff stored," Holland said.

Norton said the city of Gulf Shores recently passed an ordinance limiting the size of enclosures below the base flood level to 299 square feet.

The new regulation goes into effect December 31.