TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Future Homes Could Have Stronger Bases

ADVERTISEMENT

By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: January 28, 2009

NEW PORT RICHEY - Pasco County could force home builders to strengthen the foundations of future homes, according to a proposal aimed at reducing sinkhole claims and avoiding settling damage to homes built on soft soils.

County commissioners on Tuesday asked their development staffers to draft an ordinance that would tighten state building standards to require thicker slabs lined with more steel for new construction.

State building codes define the minimum standards for safe construction. For home slabs, that standard is 8 inches thick with a single layer of steel rebar.

The goal is to create foundations strong enough to span the kind of subterranean soft spots that now cause cracks in the walls of some houses.

The prevalence of that cracking, particularly atop the sandy soil of west Pasco, led to thousands of sinkhole claims in recent years, ultimately driving up insurance premiums.

"A lot of the claims are actually settlement because the soils weren't clean or compacted," Development Director Cindy Jolly told commissioners.

The thicker foundations would be able to span larger soft spots without cracking, Jolly said. The changes could raise the price of the foundation for a 2,500-square-foot home by 20 percent and the overall cost of the same house by 3 percent, she said.

County officials have already spoken with local builders about the change and expect to have more discussions, Jolly said.

Members of the Tampa Bay Builders Association have spoken generally with the county about the changes, but not about specifics, said Joseph Narkiewicz, the group's executive vice president.

"We said that we would discuss further once they had a specific proposal," Narkiewicz said. "I don't recall thicker slabs being discussed as thicker slabs would add substantial cost."

Also Tuesday, commissioners considered how best to handle the thousands of people who conduct business at intersections throughout the county. Any regulation would affect everyone from charities to newspaper sellers.

Commissioners stopped short of banning those activities outright after dozens of newspaper vendors from the St. Petersburg Times and The Tampa Tribune packed the meeting room to appeal for leniency.

The county has rules aimed at controlling when charities can solicit drivers for donations, but enforcing those rules became impossible after changes in state law in 2007, county officials said.

In short, County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told commissioners, the county must allow all street-side soliciting activity or, like other counties in Florida, ban the practice entirely.

"There are ways to tailor it, but you've got to treat everyone equally," Steinsnyder said.

Ultimately, commissioners chose to require anyone selling things or collecting for charity on county streets to register with the county and carry insurance.

"I don't think this board ever wanted to ban newspaper sales," Commissioner Pat Mulieri said. "We had a problem with charities jumping in front of cars."

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT