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Officials Investigate Violations Of Flood Rules

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By JULIA FERRANTE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 24, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County officials are investigating about 170 cases in which coastal homeowners are suspected of violating federal flood regulations by maintaining living space on their first floors.

They are finding that in some cases, homeowners have demolished first-floor bedrooms or recreation rooms, which are prohibited in areas vulnerable to a storm surge, Pasco Development Director Cindy Jolly said. The space may be used for garages or storage.

County commissioners directed their staff in November to notify homeowners that they must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency rules or face prosecution. Ground floors must be built with so-called "breakaway" walls that allow floodwater to flow through.

The cases are to be enforced through the county's construction board.

Many coastal homeowners have been in limbo since 2003, when then-Commissioner Peter Altman tried to get FEMA to loosen its rules on first-floor living space. Altman argued at the time that many homeowners had bought their homes unaware that their ground-floor laundry rooms and guest rooms were illegal.

Altman's efforts were put on hold a year later, however, when he lost his bid for re-election.
FEMA officials told Jolly last year, after the storms of 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, that they wouldn't change the rules, which the federal agency sets and the county must enforce.

Enforcing the FEMA rules ensures Pasco residents get a 15 percent discount on their insurance rates.

Identifying violators is somewhat tricky, Jolly said, because county inspectors can't force homeowners to let them inside their homes. Inspectors may, however, issue citations for violations visible from the outside.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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