FDEP relaxes seawall permitting rules in Volusia County amid Ian, Nicole recovery

Sheldon Gardner, The Daytona Beach News-Journal
·2 min read

To speed up recovery from Tropical Storms Ian and Nicole along Volusia County's coast, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection has temporarily changed seawall permitting requirements.

The FDEP is in charge of issuing coastal construction permits for seawalls, and the department recently changed its Emergency Final Order for Volusia County, according to a Volusia County government news release.

Among other things, the updated emergency order for coastal armoring "waives a provision that only allows seawalls for existing structures," according to the county. "This will allow a seawall to be permitted where a structure was destroyed or substantially damaged by the storm."

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Another key change: Coastal structures between reference monuments R51 to R143 (Amsden Road in Ormond Beach south to Inlet Harbor Road in Ponce Inlet) and R161 to R194 (Sapphire Avenue south to the Sandpiper Condominiums in New Smyrna Beach) are now considered vulnerable, according to the release.

That's important because FDEP normally requires structures to be deemed both "eligible" and "vulnerable" as part of the seawall permitting process, according to the county.  The previous emergency order waived the "eligible requirement."

"The term 'eligible' refers to a nonconforming structure constructed before 1985 without a permit issued by FDEP," according to the release. "The term 'vulnerable' refers to a structure's foundation that is exposed, or in the alternative, an engineer may demonstrate that a structure would become exposed by a 15-year storm interval."

What Tom and Kate Rose's Wilbur-by-the-Sea home looks like now, after Tropical Storm Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole relentlessly beat up their beloved oceanfront residence just south of Daytona Beach Shores.
What Tom and Kate Rose's Wilbur-by-the-Sea home looks like now, after Tropical Storm Ian and Tropical Storm Nicole relentlessly beat up their beloved oceanfront residence just south of Daytona Beach Shores.

People whose properties are outside of the reference monuments still have to meet vulnerability criteria to get a seawall permit. The amended emergency order's expiration date is Jan. 6. People can find the emergency order on the Emergency Declarations page at volusia.org/pin.

Those who want information about seawall permits or reference monuments can contact FDEP at 850-245-2094 or 850-245-8570. For now, Volusia residents can speak with FDEP officials in person at 440 S. Beach St. in Daytona Beach, according to the release.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Tropical Storm Nicole: FDEP OKs easier seawall permitting in Volusia