County Commissioner Peter Altman suggests forming a coalition to ask Congress to revisit FEMA guidelines. Owners now shy away from inspections.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published May 28, 2003
NEW PORT RICHEY - The conundrum has stumped county officials.
Homeowners along the coast cannot turn the ground floor of their elevated home - the floodable area with stilts and a stairway - into a livable space. But they can use it for storage, and even install lightweight walls that would break away in a flood.
The problem is, without the homeowner's permission, county officials can't come inside to inspect the "breakaway" walls or see how the space is being used. And few owners will open their home to inspectors if they know they're in violation.
The bottom line: The rules are impossible to enforce, county Commissioner Peter Altman told officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday. He suspects about 100 Pasco homes might be using the ground floor for, say, a spare bedroom or recreation room - a violation of county code.
He suggested the county focus on the most important issue - making sure the ground-floor walls will, in fact, break away in a flood - even if that means turning a blind eye to other violations, such as the use of the space inside. That may be the only way property owners will let inspectors take a look, he said.
"We don't want to turn this into a battle over whether someone has a toaster oven downstairs," Altman said.
FEMA said it would take an act of Congress to change the federal flood rules on which the Pasco County ordinance is based.
In the meantime, "We expect (Pasco County officials) to enforce their ordinance," said Brad Loar, chief of FEMA's Community Mitigation Programs Branch for the region including Florida.
Altman believes the breakaway walls are key. If they function properly in a flood, the water can flow underneath the home, minimizing damage to that house and the neighboring ones.
"We want to make sure you don't destroy your neighbor," Altman said. "That's our No. 1 priority."
Less important, he thinks, are the items on the ground floor. If a flood comes through, those washed away items probably wouldn't damage a neighbor's home, Altman said. They simply become a loss for the homeowner; and because they were stored below the flood level, FEMA insurance won't cover them.
Altman will take the issue back to his fellow commissioners Tuesday. He thinks Pasco should form a coalition with other west Florida communities to ask Congress to revisit the FEMA guidelines.
He suggests a measure that would allow homeowners to do more with that ground level, as long as they know FEMA insurance won't reimburse them for any losses.
"It's hard to have that square footage and not use it and be crowded upstairs," Altman said.
- Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is hall@sptimes.com
